


Daylight and Dark

by LadyKnightShade



Series: The Blue Defender [1]
Category: Megamind (2010)
Genre: Crime Fighting, Crimes & Criminals, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Mild S&M, Mystery, Post-Canon, Post-Movie, Romance, Sex, Smut, Superheroes, Xenophilia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:40:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 33
Words: 107,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27485170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKnightShade/pseuds/LadyKnightShade
Summary: Months after Titan's defeat, Roxanne faces concerns as she and Megamind's relationship grows more serious. Soon, however, she learns that may be the least of her problems. Metro City's new hero has a dangerous past, and loving him comes with as many perils as benefits. Mystery, drama, romance, and humor. WARNINGS: sex, violence, and rock n' roll, as well as language and references to prior domestic abuse. I don't own Megamind.  COMPLETE.
Relationships: Megamind & Roxanne Ritchi, Megamind/Roxanne Ritchi
Series: The Blue Defender [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2172921
Comments: 19
Kudos: 53
Collections: Megamind_Kink





	1. Daylight and Dark Chapter 1 - First Night

**Author's Note:**

> **DISCLAIMER:** The film Megamind and all characters therein are the intellectual property of DreamWorks. This fan fiction was written entirely for entertainment purposes, and I in no way profit from it. All original characters in this work are fictional, and similarities to any person or persons are completely unintentional.
> 
>  **AUTHOR'S NOTES:** This was originally posted on FanFiction.net. Readers will find that the prologue has been removed. (I felt it slowed the beginning of the narrative too much.) For those that wish to read it, I will post it later as a separate work under the name Decisions. For the sake of clarity, however, some of the content concerning Roxanne's anxieties has been worked into this chapter, so reading the prologue is not particularly necessary.
> 
> Like almost all Megamind fanfiction, this piece makes use of fan canon which, I have learned, was largely originated by Setepenre_Set. I like to give credit where credit is due, so thanks to them for adding so much to this fandom!
> 
> **This is my first attempt writing something even vaguely in the mystery genre, so reviews and feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!**

_If I should labor through daylight and dark,_  
_Consecrate, valorous, serious, true,_  
_Then on the world I may blazon my mark;_  
_And what if I don't, and what if I do?_

_—Dorothy Parker_

* * *

Roxanne Ritchi stared at her reflection without really seeing it.

Tonight. It was going to be tonight. She had waited, fretted, but no more. It had to be tonight.

Perhaps this moment had been too long in coming. It wasn't as if she didn't want it to—she adored him, she was undeniably attracted to him, and she was completely unbothered by their physical differences—but there was a part of Roxanne that had been affected more than she liked to admit by past disappointments. She described her approach to relationships as "circumspect" and "judicious," but, if she was honest, she was, in reality, a coward. Not that she was afraid of Megamind, of course; that would have been ridiculous. Her concerns were harder to define than that. What she feared was, she supposed, perfection, or rather the relentless feeling that anything this perfect had to be inevitably doomed. After all, past experiences with men had all ended in disaster—she was either too aloof or too intense, depending on which of her exes you asked— and it seemed that the better relationships were in the beginning, the more spectacularly they failed in the end. In fact, the reporter had already resigned herself to a single life, throwing herself completely into her work, when along came a certain blue alien. Now, deep down, she was afraid that something would go wrong—especially when their relationship was already complicated by its very nature. Perhaps that was the real heart of the issue: her love affair with Megamind was complex in so many ways, even more than the expected difficulties entailed in dating any Defender, and some of those issues revolved around things neither she nor her blue boyfriend could control.

Even so, she had made her decision, and she wasn't going to back down. It was going to be tonight.

A knock snapped Roxanne's eyes back into focus, and she frowned at her incomplete makeup. Hurriedly finishing her mascara and applying some russet red, long-wear lipstick, she swept all her cosmetics back into a drawer. An extra spray of perfume for good measure, and that would have to do. Fanning her mouth with her hands to dry the lip color, Roxanne walked briskly through the living room to her apartment's front door.

Megamind was standing in the hall, eyes fixed pensively off into the distance. It was a look she was growing to expect whenever she left him waiting too long; the double-edge sword of his massive intellect was that he was always thinking, always wondering, his thoughts never still. The sound of the door brought him back to attention, and he smiled. She threw her arms around him— their usual greeting— and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

Nerves sang and sparked. She hated that she was as fidgety as a maiden bride. While she believed that, like alcohol and tobacco, sex should be "enjoyed responsibly," Roxanne had slept with a respectable number of men. It had been years since the idea of it had made her jittery. Until now. Maybe it was her long hiatus from the dating pool—very few men were willing to move on a woman supposedly dating someone with lasers in his eyes—or maybe it was Megamind's charm coupled with the intensity of her feelings for him, but, whatever the reason, something about the city's hero made her feel like she was in high school once more: heart fluttering and stomach slightly queasy. If only that were the sole reason for the butterflies beneath her skin. 

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she smiled again, looking into eyes so green they glowed.

His expression was tender as he turned his gaze down to her's— something that, at only two inches taller than Roxanne, he only managed to do when they were this close. And when she was wearing flats. For a moment Roxanne silently praised the work-sore feet that had prompted her to opt for more comfortable shoes this evening.

Clearly, the blue alien had been on duty today as he was dressed in his familiar dark leathers. For a short time, Megamind had tried wearing white— had even gone as far as to build a new super suit that imitated Metro Man's powers— but thankfully Minion had convinced him that it was better to be his own brand of hero. And he'd been right. Not only did Roxanne prefer her boyfriend's bad boy look for reasons of her own, but even the most hardened criminals had grown to fear the black-clad Defender of Metro City while citizens had grown to accept Megamind for himself.

_Will that continue after tonight, if people find out? Or will the same public that praises him today turn against him tomorrow?_

"Don't worry, it's alright," the blue hero assured her. Roxanne startled for a moment— how did he know what she was thinking?— before she realized that he'd been referring to the wait. "I was just considering how I might turn one of your windows into a transparent glass monitor," he continued. "It would require some creative engineering, but I think it could be done. Then I could build you a smaller version of the supercomputer in my lair, and ta-da! It could function as a window until activated, and then you could use it to communicate with me in my workroom, or research, or to—" seeing her quizzically amused expression, he caught himself in mid-thought and cleared his throat. He and Roxanne had agreed to just have a normal, relaxing date, and it seemed to occur to him that this might not fit the description. "Erm, these are for you," he finished sheepishly, proffering a bouquet of yellow daisies, orange and gold cosmos, gardenias, and red and white roses.

He always brought her daisies, ever since she had mentioned once in passing how much she loved the ones in Hill Top Park. Bouquets turned up at her office every Thursday like clockwork. She didn't even mind that some of the interns got all girlish and giggly about it.

Roxanne accepted the flowers, inhaling the blossoms' sweet scents before saying: "They're beautiful. Come on inside." She pulled him in, leaning up to give him another kiss as she reached around him to shut the door. "I've always wondered: what are these?" she continued, touching tiny white clustered flowers with one hand. "It seems like they're in every single bouquet I've ever seen, but no one ever mentions what they're called."

"Ah, yes, that's Gypsophila, Baby's Breath. And you're right, it is a common addition to bouquets... I think for artistic reasons. What's wrong? Do you dislike it?"

"What? No, not at all..."

"What is it? You look like you just smelled something horrible. I can take the Gypsophila out."

"Oh, no, that's not necessary. It's nothing... just..."

 _Baby's breath. Oh God._ Roxanne tried to ignore the skittering tightness in her heart.

What if she got pregnant? What would the world say to the first half-human child? She was a responsible adult, of course, and she wasn't rushing into this unprepared, but even so... Sex was designed to make babies, and no matter how careful a girl was, sometimes it did just that. Her cousin Theresa, who had conceived her third child while she and her husband were using both pills and condoms, was living proof.

Realizing she'd been quiet too long, Roxanne thought quickly. "It's just that that's an odd name for a flower, isn't it? I mean, it doesn't really look like breath."

"No stranger than Forget-Me-Nots or Grandmother's Lace." He shrugged. "Flower names are just weird."

"At least Grandmother's Lace sort of looks like lace," she laughed, more at herself than anything else. "But you're probably right. Either way, these really are gorgeous," Roxanne smiled again. "I love them."

"I'm glad," he grinned. "I've been studying Floriography."

"Flori-what?"

"The language of flowers."

"I didn't know flowers talked," she joked.

"Very funny. You've read enough classic literature to know what I mean."

"I do, and you're very sweet," she answered, retrieving a vase from the small china hutch in her living room, and leading him into the kitchen. "Let's see… Roses are for love, right?"

"Love and affection, depending on the color."

"And these colors are?" She asked, setting the vase on the counter and turning to face him.

His cheeks flushed a little, the expression of shy pleasure at odds with his tough-guy persona. It was unreasonably adorable. "The red ones mean: 'my love for you is passionate,'" he explained. "And the white ones mean: 'my love for you is pure.'"

She felt her heart do a happy, ridiculous little flip, and turned her head to give him a smile that felt embarrassingly shy and girlish. "Oh."

This was always his way: thoughtful, charming, romantic, foolishly sentimental… Yet he never begrudged her her independence; never complained when she had to break a date for a hot news story or an overdue deadline. He just told her to stop by the Lair on the way home if she had the time, and sent over a packed dinner via brainbot with a note saying something like: "You won't forget to eat, will you? Love, MM." And then there was the way he fully embraced her for who she was, skipping typical dates in favor of afternoons in bookshops, long days in the park, weekends exploring quirky little-known museums, and dinners at hidden gems serving unexpectedly excellent cuisine or wonderfully authentic international dishes.

"Are you sure you're not telepathic?" she asked, only half in jest. It was something she'd questioned him about before.

"I think I would notice if I were." His expression turned teasing. "Perhaps, Miss Ritchi, you are simply too... Predictable."

"Jerk," she laughed, trimming the edges of the flowers under the running tap. 

"Villain," he corrected, gesturing to himself. "One of the good guys, now, but still a villain," he moved close. "And a devilishly handsome one at that."

"Hmm. I can't argue with the last part."

"That's because you have excellent taste." God, why did his smirk have to look like dark secrets and wanton promises? "Really, though, Sweetheart," he added, his smile gentling. "I know you because I love you."

"I love you, too."

She truly did, and the fact that someone as brilliant and charming as Megamind loved her back sometimes still filled her with soft surprise. More than that, however, he respected her. He trusted her. Following their defeat of Titan, Megamind had not only granted her nearly unfettered access to his secret Lair— something unheard of in the past— but, keenly aware that the sudden cessation of her regular kidnappings could affect her career, he had also allowed her to join him in some of his more noteworthy heroic battles. While her blue beau insisted that she steer clear of the dangerous Doom Syndicate, together they had taken down two minor would-be villains: the first an ex-model with a scarred face and a terrible idea of revenge, the second a balding science teacher with an insane plan to make the pigeons in the park emulate Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. That last had been a monumental failure even by Megamind's standards. The chemical compound the man had fed the birds had only succeeded in giving them explosive diarrhea. It had been an incredible mess.

_Thank God for brainbot cleanup crews!_

"And just what are you snickering about?" Megamind asked her, cocking one eyebrow, green eyes shining with curious mirth. "It's mean not to share," he added, adopting his best Hero-Giving-a-Life-Lesson voice. Roxanne laughed harder. That particular part of his new persona was definitely a work in progress.

"I was just thinking about the bird guy," she answered, turning to fill the vase from the faucet.

"The bird _—_ Oh! Ravenous!" he gave the word an odd inflection, putting an emphasis on "raven," just as the aspiring villain had.

"That was it!" she chortled. "God, even his name sucked! He got so mad at you for pronouncing it wrong, too."

"Excuse me," he grinned, leaning back against the counter to catch her eye. "I was pronouncing the word _ravenous_ correctly. It's not my fault he had an unnatural obsession with avians. And, as I recall, it was you, my Dear Miss Ritchi, who insisted on pronouncing his name wrong—or rather right— on air, until you had the whole city doing it.

"Me?" she couldn't hide her smile. "Look at this innocent face. Would I do something like that?"

His laugh rang through the kitchen. "Oh, yes, you would. I always said you would have made an excellent Evil Queen!"

It was absurd how much her heart sped up when he said that. "When did you decide to learn floriography? I mean, it can't have been just for this," she asked, arranging the bouquet with more care and concentration than was really necessary. "I can't imagine you taking an interest in it before."

"Yes and no. I did learn for you, Roxanne, but," he seemed to swallow his sheepishness, "I've studied the language of flowers for years. I... I used to imagine what I would say to you if I only had the courage to leave a tower of blossoms on your table after a kidnapping. I never did. I didn't want you to feel... uncomfortable, frightened, but... Roxanne, I revolve around you. Your smiles have been my drug for a long time."

She swallowed turned her head back quickly. Her face felt like fire and she knew she was losing the battle for suave composure. _Damn it_ , _I'm supposed to be the one seducing him!_

How could she not love him when he said things like that—said them and actually meant them? Surely that was too much for any reasonable world to expect? And if others might not like it, well, so what? She'd endured criticism of everything from her political stances to her hair, and God knew Megamind was no stranger to animosity. Whatever storms this might brew, they would weather them together.

"The Gypsophila represent purity, too," Megamind informed her. She could hear him grinning at her blush. "The cosmos are joy and harmony," he added, moving closer again. "Yellow daisies are for both true love, because each flower is actually two joined as one, and for new beginnings. Gardenias, now those are interesting. They represent feminine beauty, and can refer to a secret love, but," Roxanne nearly dropped the vase as he leaned against her back to breathe the last words against her ear. "Gardenias also mean: 'I will always protect you.'"

"Megamind," she breathed, gently setting the vase on the counter and turning to bury herself in him. He smelled like hot metal— he'd probably been welding something earlier— and expensive cologne, but beneath that was his familiar musk of leather, spices, and something warm and woody.

He began kissing along her ear and down toward her shoulder _—_ something he had become extremely good at in the last few months. His goatee, warm breath, and gentle teeth were sweet torture against her sensitive skin. Clever fingers tickled up the nape of her neck and slid around to gently tangle in her short hair, making her shiver. She sighed his name again, tasting the syllables like a prayer.

Megamind. This was Megamind: fiercely loyal and endlessly affectionate. Of course, he would always protect her. Let the whole entire city, or even the entire planet, turn against them, and he would remain steadfastly at her side, determined and immovable as stone. Certainly, they had had their share of arguments—what couple didn't?—but, in the end, he always had her back. He'd probably even do his best to shield her from the worst of people's biases. Because that was the sort of man he was.

_To hell with what people might think. I want this, now and always._

Roxanne leaned back just enough to kiss him with thorough passion, giving his mouth the full and undivided attention it deserved. He matched her passion, tongue gliding past her lips to tempt and tumble against her own. Almost of their own accord, her arms wrapped about his slender neck, pulling him closer, urging him on...

And her stupid phone timer went off, shattering the moment with an annoyingly jaunty little tune.

"I… um… I have dinner in the oven," she stumbled over her own words. "It should be... ready… almost... almost ready."

Mercifully, he took his cue. "Oh-ho!" he laughed, giving her one last peck on the lips. "Home cooking twice in one week! Just what are you up to, Miss Ritchi?"

Although Roxanne had learned to cook at her grandmother's elbow, she'd rarely felt it worth her time when she was single, preferring quick frozen meals she could leave in the crockpot or even pop into the microwave. Since she had started dating Megamind, however, she'd dusted off the old cookbooks she'd inherited and started making meals from scratch once a week. True, the hero had Minion to cook for him— and her skills were nowhere near the henchman's gourmet standards— but this was one of the ways she could show her affection, and it always seemed to please the blue alien. Things like that had become important to the reporter as Megamind took up residence in her heart, which is why she found herself constantly making little gestures like buying him a blue teddy bear in a black leather jacket, or texting him funny pictures and thoughts she knew would make him smile. So she had gotten into the habit of planning one special dinner each week. But, up until now, it had always been only one. 

_I'd hoped he wouldn't notice. I should have known better._

She gave him her best calm reporter stare. It was ruined by the fact that her face still felt like it was glowing red. "Why should I be up to anything?" she asked coyly.

He lifted an eyebrow, his grin playful. "Your wiles won't work on me."

That earned him a sultry look. "I was under the impression they were working pretty well just now."

"Wicked girl," he teased. Following Roxanne across the small kitchen, Megamind opened the oven and sniffed eagerly. "Mmmm... Lasag-na. My favorite. Now I'm definitely suspicious."

"It's lasagna, silly," Roxanne corrected fondly, moving past him to set her bouquet on the dinette table. "And can't a girl make her favorite hero a nice dinner without him getting into conspiracy theories?"

He only grinned at her again. "La. Sag. Na." That was one of the things Roxanne loved most about Megamind. He never let himself be embarrassed. Most people would have been mortified by constant mispronunciations, but he brushed them off with a smile.

Giggling, Roxanne swatted him playfully out of her way and found two oven mitts in a drawer before retrieving the dish from the oven. "Maybe I'll make you learn to say it correctly before I let you have any."

"Oh, you could never be so cruel!" he answered over his shoulder as he selected plates from the cabinet. "I should have brought a bottle of wine."

"I still have two from the last time you came over," laughed Roxanne. "I think we'll be okay."

"You make me sound like an alcoholic," Megamind complained, but he couldn't quite tame his playful expression as he began setting the table. "I simply couldn't decide what would compliment the dish best. Besides, I wanted to make sure I had something to eat my breakfast cereal with in the morning."

"Ewww!"

Roxanne loved Megamind's laugh. He was the city's hero now, but his rolling chortle still had a dark ring in it, and something about it sent delicious shivers down her spine.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding" he assured her.

"I know, but... Ewww!"

He laughed again and motioned her to her chair. "Alright, okay," he said, helping her into her seat. "Whenever I stay here overnight, I solemnly promise that I will not eat cereal and wine for breakfast."

Roxanne tried to giggle but found her throat suddenly tight. Funny how that comment brought the conversation to the matter at hand.

_Come on, Roxanne. For God's sake. Just ask._

She looked up at him, his face still glowing with humor, and gently placed her hand on his.

"Megamind, I was thinking, what about tonight?"

He looked confused. "What about tonight?"

"For that. For you to stay over. I mean..." she sighed. _Ugh... Why is this so hard?_ "Will you stay here with me tonight?"

"Of course!" his easy tone implied he still didn't get her meaning. It wasn't as if he had never stayed over, after all... It was simply that they had never done any more than cuddle.

"No, I mean, will you—" _Oh, God, I'm going to have to be specific, aren't I?—_ "Will you sleep with me? Will you spend the night here as my lover?"

That finally did it. His eyes widened in surprise, and then he glanced quickly down, trying unsuccessfully to hide his little up-to-no-good grin.

When he lifted his gaze again, however, his expression turned serious. "Are you... sure? I want you to be sure, Roxanne. Absolutely certain." He lifted his free hand to push a strand of her short hair tenderly back from her face. "No regrets between us. Ever."

She smiled. _Doesn't he understand that that's what makes me so certain? He's always ready to put me first._

Yes, he was an alien. Yes, she was going to be the first known human to sleep with someone from a different planet. Yes, in a society where too many still objected to relationships between different races and same genders, sharing her bed with an extraterrestrial was sure to stir up trouble. But it didn't matter. She had given him her whole heart, and after five months of dating— more if you counted the dates with "Bernard"— she wanted to give him her body, too. The time had come. Their relationship couldn't continue in this state of limbo. Either she stopped holding back or she broke things off, and she couldn't bear the thought of the latter. No matter what happened, no matter who judged them, no matter how many snide comments she had to hear about Stockholm Syndrome and tentacle porn, she would not—could not—let him go.

Fully meeting his look, Roxanne let her emotions— love, desire, trust, longing— fill her blue eyes. Her hands caressed the sides of his face as she pulled him down for another slow-burn kiss.

"I'm sure," she breathed when they parted for air. "I'm very, very sure."

He smiled and leaned back in, kissing her again, letting years of contained passion spill over her. The chair skittered back as she rose, tangling her arms around him. Clutching her, Megamind ran eager hands over her back, cupped her hips, and pressed her close to feel the proof of his desire. His kisses were hot, desperate, as if he were drowning and her lips held his only salvation.

Panting and flushed, the hero was the first to pull back. "I'm sorry," he said, motioning to the cooling meal on the table. "I don't mean to let all your hard work go to waste, but—"

"I have a microwave. We can heat it up."

He grinned. "Well, in that case..." he purred. Scooping her up in his deceptively thin arms, Metro City's blue hero carried Roxanne to the bedroom.

Tonight. It was going to be tonight.

* * *

Carefully laying his beloved on the mattress, Megamind tossed aside his cape and high collar, then crawled atop her. Returning to her mouth he kissed her with renewed vigor. Roxanne began searching with her hands for the fastenings on his shirt, and finally found a zipper in the back. He unceremoniously dropped the garment to the floor and helped her pull his black undershirt over his head.

"Megamind," she whispered, running her hands over his chest and stomach. She had always known he wasn't as skinny as he looked— if he had been, how would he be able to pick her up?— but she was still impressed by the wiry muscles moving beneath his smooth blue skin.

His eyes closed to slits as she explored his bare flesh, and a soft sigh escaped his lips. "Roxanne," he said after a moment, gently catching her hand. "You do know, I suppose... I grew up in prison, and until recently I never exactly won any popularity contests... I may not be the most... Umm..."

"It's okay," she smiled and reached up to stroke his face. "I know. Don't worry."

Lips tugging upward, eyes warm with affection, he leaned down to capture her lips again as his free hand fumbled with the buttons on her velvet dress jacket.

The fabric parted under his deft fingers, his warm touch _—_ slightly calloused from years of building and maintaining various machines _—_ teasing the skin along her neck and collar bone. He slowly ran his hand up her side, as if waiting for her acquiescence, before caressing her breast. The satin dress material was in the way, but even so this touch was delectable. Ever the gentleman, Megamind had never allowed himself any such liberty before, and he seemed almost fascinated by her reactions. Roxanne gasped and kissed him a little harder, emboldening his fingers. Readjusting his weight, he tried to slide his hands down her dress to better reach her trembling breasts. Finding the fabric too tight, he pulled her against him and fumbled with the zipper. She pushed him back a little and sat up enough for him to tug the offending garment over her head. His hands slid under her lace bra, forcing it up, and finally found her bare nipples.

"Oh, yes," he breathed, feeling her respond to his touch.

Roxanne wrapped her arms around him, pulling him back down to her lips as his hands continued their assault. He explored her breasts thoroughly, giving her nipples an experimental pinch as he realized that seemed to be her favorite spot.

"Please kiss them," she gasped. He immediately obeyed, practically tearing her bra off and lowering his head to her chest. He kissed the peaks of her breasts like he kissed her mouth: tongue and lips working eagerly against her skin.

"Oh, Megamind!" she moaned, encouraging him. "Keep doing that. Please, please keep doing that!"

He switched his attention to the unattended nipple, his hand replacing his mouth on the damp, sensitive skin of the first. He shifted his weight, balancing himself to free his other hand. His touch explored her trembling stomach, ghosted over her hip and behind the small of her back.

"There's something I've read about that I've always wanted to try," the hero's voice sounded husky as he lowered his head back to her creamy skin. One hand continued its previous activity, pinching and tugging the peak of one breast while his mouth and tongue worshiped the other. His remaining hand roved along the edge of her lace panties, tickling just under the elastic but, infuriatingly, not going any further.

He made a noise and Roxanne tilted her gaze down her body to meet mesmerizing, bright green eyes as they looked a question at her.

"Yes," she breathed. "Yes, yes."

He shifted enough the slide his hand down and explore her wetness, one finger dipping between the lips and stroking up until she gasped. She could feel him smiling against her breast as he started rubbing her clit. Intelligent, emerald eyes rolled up to watch her face as he pressed, stroked, gently flicked.

He was studying her, observing every reaction— cause and effect— as if this were one of his experiments. The thought made things low in her body throb more insistently than ever. His brilliant mind was so alluring, and seeing him use it like this was enough to make her half-wild with desire.

He tugged at her underwear.

"This needs to go."

She obediently lifted her hips so he could slide her panties down her legs and toss them aside. His eager fingers instantly resumed their erotic torment upon her most sensitive spot.

Something he did made her hips jump and her voice explode in a throaty moan. Grinning wickedly up at her, he did it again, and again, and then…

Megamind's fingers began to move in earnest, combining different angles and pressures into a heart-stopping erotic experience better than anything Roxanne had ever felt before. She thrashed and groaned, pleaded for more, pleasure swelling inside her like a brewing storm.

He switched his mouth back to her other breast and slipped his other hand down to join the first. Without warning, he thrust two fingers inside of her, and Roxanne half-sobbed at the overwhelming sensation as his arm began pumping.

Megamind, however, was apparently not satisfied. He crooked the fingers inside of her and dragged them up slowly until he found a place that made her wail with ecstasy.

"There it is," he crooned, breath hot on her skin. He pressed and pounded her g-spot, the fingers of his other hand still working her clitoris, tongue flicking over her nipple, and Roxanne's self-control broke. She cried out, clawing her sheets, back arching off the bed as she came.

The woman's vision slowly cleared, her pulse still pounding between her thighs, her body limp. She could feel Megamind's hand soothingly stroking her right hip while he poured honey words into her ear. They lay there for a few minutes while her body recovered.

"You are truly beautiful when you orgasm," he said, tone suggesting he was exceedingly proud of himself.

"Are… Are you" she panted, "sure you've… never done that before?"

He chuckled warmly, rolling onto his side and smirking down at her. "That was my first," he cocked an eyebrow, " _hands-on_ experience. But I have done a lot of research."

"I can tell. Because that was… amazing."

"Mm," he grinned and pulled her close, half on top of him, his lips brushing against hers. "I'm glad," he said, his face close enough to fill her vision. "I'm really, really glad."

Leaning in again, his teasing kisses grew longer, deeper, more passionate, and Roxanne felt desire rising again through her languid satisfaction. She reached up to run hands over his shoulders, around the back of his sensitive neck, and he made a noise that was half-purr and half-groan. His lips became bolder, more forceful, demanding her lust. Her body seemed only too happy to respond.

Desperate, she struggled with the hidden zipper on his pants, pulling them down enough to free his member and running her fingers down his shaft. He sucked in air.

Roxanne squeezed a little harder, pumping her hand. His member seemed to throb and swell in response. It was mostly smooth, almost velvety, but there were raised ridges running down the top and underside of his length, both with a slightly rough texture.

 _Oh, no._ She had wondered, of course, but she'd assumed he would say something if there were any... physical incompatibilities. _Stupid, Roxanne,_ she berated herself. _He's never done this; of course he wouldn't know if there was an issue! But maybe it's not that bad? Maybe we can still..._

The woman ran one finger along the lower ridge, making him squirm. Nothing felt sharp, but she needed to be sure.

"Megamind," she asked carefully. "Are these… Does it have spines?"

"Not… Exactly— God! You're making it hard to think!— It doesn't have… There are no spikes, but— Oh, oh do that again!— I think… I think the ridges may serve… A similar purpose… Induce ovulation… Please, Roxanne… Not too much! The ridges... very... sensitive... Want to... be inside you!"

She loosened her grip and ran her hand up to the head, feeling the same vaguely coarse skin there. Anticipation shuddered through her; she was experienced enough, and had employed enough _pleasure enhancements_ with other lovers, to know what sorts of delicious things a bumpy texture could do inside her.

She didn't stop, however. Her lover seemed tense now, and she wanted to put him at ease.

Grinning, she slid down his body and, without preamble, took him into her mouth. Roxanne bobbed over him a few times, one hand holding him steady. She licked along the lower ridge, ran her tongue back up to flick across his head. Finally, she sucked him in as far as she could—he was huge enough to make her jaw ache— and then drew back to lavish special attention on the tip. His hips jerked and he moaned.

"God, that's… That's good…" he said, but he caught her hair in one hand and gently pulled her up to look at him. She made a little protesting noise. Megamind rumbled something like a growling chuckle in his chest, but he held her still, his face serious. "Roxanne," he began. "I want you to know that if this is too much... too inhuman... I meant it when I said I don't want any regrets between us. You don't have to—"

Looking down at him, desire, pleasure, and nervous tension all warring on his face, Roxanne let him see exactly where her thoughts were taking her.

"Do you really think I'd be sucking you off if you didn't turn me on? This," she said decidedly, gently rubbing his length again, "is literally the hottest thing I've ever seen. Seriously, Megamind, your dick is practically a living sex toy; if other women knew what you keep hidden in those leather pants of yours, I'd have to fight them off of you every time we went out! Please, please believe me when I tell you that your... _unique_ masculine part is definitely not a problem!"

The hero gave a low, dark chuckle and, grabbing her hand, moved it down to the base of his shaft.

"Then you're going to love this…" he promised.

As he'd grown more rigidly erect, a small, textured bulge had swollen along the first two inches of the upper ridge.

_Oh, just imagine what he could do with that!_

She bent to lick his manhood again, tongue teasing and flitting all the way from his pebbled tip to the textured base. The woman explored every inch of him, delighted by every moan she drew from his lips.

"God… Roxanne…" The blue man's entire body trembled with the effort of staying still as she gently mouthed and kissed the bulge at his base.

"My, my," she grinned, voice sultry, sitting back to admire the image of him flushed and panting against her sheets. "You're really are sensitive, aren't you?... And so impressive! How on earth do you hide all of _this_ in that tight leather?"

"It's… Fully retractable… When I'm not…" he made a rumbling sound deep in his chest as she squeezed and stroked him. "That's good! Damn, that's good! Your hands… Feel so much better than mine!"

"Why, Megamind, is that an actual curse word that just crossed your lips?" Roxanne cooed, a vixen grin tugging her mouth.

"All your fault…"

God, she had never felt sexier or more desirable in her life!

"Mmm… I think I like hearing you say things like that," she purred, leaning over him again.

"Keep sucking… My fucking cock… and you're going to hear a lot more!"

She hummed around his hard shaft, and his hips bucked again. "I do... love giving... you head," she said between attentions to his swollen length, and he nearly keened. "But," she added, sucking him hard one last time. "I would much, much rather you fucked me with this."

He made a growling noise at her rough language and grabbed her shoulders, flipping her onto her back and moving between her willing legs. Grasping her thighs, he let his gaze locked onto hers as he guided himself to her opening.

"As my lady commands," he said, voice deep and rough with desire.

He pushed forward, inch by inch. With a moan, she pulled his narrow hips closer, lifting her own in assent. He began moving shallowly, pressing himself a little deeper inside her with every few thrusts. The feeling made her gasp and lower her gaze to watch in something like awe as his enormous blue penis worked its way into her warmth.

"Oh, my God," she gasped.

He stilled instantly. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, it's just… You feel even bigger than you look!"

"Is that... bad?"

"God, no. It's good. It's so good. Please do it."

He grinned and pushed himself deeper. "Like that?" he panted.

"Yes... yes..."

"Mmmmm... Like that?"

"God, yes!"

"And that?"

"Yesss!"

He was moving now, drawing himself in and out of her, hitting her deepest spot while his thickness filled her to bursting. The upper ridge rubbed hard against her g-spot, and as he shifted slightly, that textured bulge hit her clit just right to make her shriek his name.

"Ah," he panted. "So that's... what it's for..." He did it again, and she arched back, wrapping her legs about his narrow waist, pressing him deeper.

"More!" she begged. "Please, more!"

Megamind's uncertain thrusts quickly became steadier and more forceful, shocking every nerve ending in her body with tingling jolts of pleasure. Little feminine noises tore themselves from her throat. Grunts began rising from his chest with every thrust. Her fingers traced patterns on his back and shoulders as he found his rhythm and began assailing her in earnest. He kissed and bit along her neck, plowing her hard into the mattress, heightening her moans to cries. In response, she reached a trembling hand to tease his sensitive ear, lightly run fingernails over the back of his neck and scalp. He rumbled that purring-groan noise again, louder this time, and increased his pace, his back heaving as he impaled her again and again.

"Harder," she half-sobbed, body straining up beneath him and jolting in time with his thrusts. "Harder! Megamind! Harder!"

He consented, arching and bucking into her body with feverish abandon. The slap of flesh joined the thump of wood and the creak of bedsprings in a nocturnal song of ecstasy. Her fingers scrabbled helplessly for a hold on his sweating back as he nipped below her ear and returned one hand to her shaking breasts. It was almost too much. Her legs were already beginning to spasm as his massive member assaulted her, filling her to the very core.

"Oh, God, harder!" she begged. "Please! Harder! Be savage! Be merciless!"

"You should... Never ask that... Of a... SUPERVILLAIN!" he roared.

Pushing his weight up onto his arms, he hammered her with everything he had— every muscle in his body pushing toward that one, all-important point. Her voice grew hoarse with screams of pure pleasure as he bucked into her with nearly-violent passion, driving her hard toward her second climax. She dug her nails into his back, clinging desperately to him as he took her, screaming and sobbing with pleasure, to the very edge. Pulling her legs over his shoulders, he frantically thrust into her, using his inhuman speed and flexibility to build a wave of pure ecstasy that threatened to drown them both.

"Yes! Yes! YESSS!" A final shriek ripped from her lungs as her entire body shook with orgasm. His eyes grew wild with the shock of his own release, his strangled cry echoing as he pumped his seed into her body.

After a few moments, he managed to roll off of her, and they lay in a loose tangle, panting as they relearned how to breathe. "That was… incredible." Megamind finally managed, drawing a sound of euphoric agreement from Roxanne. He chuckled. "Am I to... take it... I did alright?"

"Mmmm... Better than alright. Much, much better."

He pushed up on his elbow and they smiled at one another, basking in this secret moment before he leaned down to kiss her gently.

Roxanne nestled into warm contentment, idly tracing patterns on his sweaty chest. "I love you," she said at last.

"I know," he teased. She laughed breathlessly and swatted him.

Catching her hand, he lifted it and kissed it. "I love you, too," he said, and pulled her close, stretching his lean body beside her own and capturing her lips once more.

The kiss deepened, and Roxanne froze suddenly, eyes flicking down and then widening as they returned to his own. Megamind pulled back a few inches, his grin full of carnal invitation as he arched a brow.

"Round two?" he suggested and leaned in to kiss her again.


	2. Daylight and Dark Chapter 2 - Morning

Roxanne woke with her head pillowed on Megamind's shoulder. She blinked blearily in the bright sunlight filling the room, and stretched delightfully sore muscles. It had been too long since she'd last awoken with the afterglow of good, rough sex warming her body.

"Good morning, Beautiful," said a smooth, pleasant voice.

Roxanne smiled up into Megamind's handsome face. "Good morning," she sighed, sliding against him to kiss his mouth. She settled back beside him, nuzzling the side his neck and idly sliding one finger up and down his opposite ear. "Mmmmm, I should get up, but I'm much too comfortable."

"Then don't get up."

"But I really should."

"The Evil Overlord forbids it."

"You're not an Evil Overlord anymore."

"Well, then the Defender of Metrocity forbids it," he grinned down at her, turning to wrap both arms tightly around her. "Stay with me," he added seriously. "It's Saturday. As long as I'm not called to duty, there is no good reason why we can't spend the whole day here."

An electronic buzzing suddenly disturbed the quiet. It was quickly joined by a metallic rattling at the window. Roxanne bolted up in bed, giving a little yelp and pulling her coverlet over her chest as she realized six or seven brainbots were swarming outside the glass. Megamind's reaction was even more animated. He practically tumbled onto the floor, bringing the rumbled sheet with him and wrapping himself frantically in it. He stumbled to the window and, ignoring Roxanne's stuttering protests, threw it open to let the little flying robots in. They massed around him like worried children, bumping him with rounded glass domes and pawing him with long mechanical arms. Roxanne was sure that if they'd had tails, they would have been wagging.

Chuckling nervously, Megamind patted them. "Okay, okay, Daddy's alright. This is just Daddy's… ah… private time… So we really shouldn't be bothering Daddy. No we shouldn't." He shook a finger at them to emphasize his words, but that caused the sheet to slip a little, and he snatched it back up into place. "Look, Daddy's not leaving you behind. Daddy just needs to spend some alone time with Roxanne, okay? Daddy loves both you and Roxanne, but in very different ways…"

Roxanne nearly choked on her giggle. Of all the absurd things she had seen him do during her semi-professional Damsel-in-Distress career, none were quite as funny as Megamind giving the Daddy Has a Girlfriend speech to a hoard of cyborg drones. Her humor was stolen, however, when one of the brainbots left the happily swirling flock to hover in front of an empty section of wall. Moments later, the top minion— or rather Minion— appeared, his image projected by the brainbot's red camera eye. Roxanne blushed bright scarlet and tugged the blanket higher. She knew enough about Megamind's technological creations to realize that Minion could see them just as well as they could see him.

"Oh, sir! Thank goodness they found you! I've had the brainbots looking everywhere! Where have you been all night?!"

"Here."

"No phone call? No message? You just stay out to all hours—"

"Minion," Megamind interjected. "This really isn't the best—"

"Without a single thought of what you might be putting me through—"

"Minion—"

"...worried sick, and—"

" _Minion!"_

"WHAT? I mean…Ah... What, sir?"

Megamind took a deep breath and began gathering scattered clothes from the floor with one hand, the other still clutching the sheet tight. "You're right. I should have called. I didn't think about it—"

"Didn't… didn't think about it?" Minion blustered, wide-eyed. "Sir! How could you? After all we've been through! You… You know that my sole purpose is to take care of you, and… and…"

"Oh, Minion! Stop being dramatic! You know very well I didn't mean it that way! I…" Megamind threw up his free hand in exasperation, flinging his shirt above his head.

"How did you mean it, then?"

Another deep breath and Megamind collected himself. "I got a little caught up in the moment and… things…"

"Things? What _things_?! That's no excuse!"

"Things, Minion," Megamind said pointedly, motioning his head toward the bed. "And this _seriously_ is not a good time."

Minion glanced where his master indicated. "Oh good morning, Miss—" he began cordially, "Ritchi..." He finished, voice growing faint as he finally took in the scene. His large aquatic eyes bulged as they flitted between Roxanne and his master.

"Oh, Sir! You didn't!"

Megamind rolled his eyes and snatched one of his boots from the floor. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did."

"Sir!"

"And I plan to do it again!"

"But sir!"

"A lot!"

"SIR!"

"As often as possible!"

Minion mouthed wordlessly before shaking himself free of shock. "Well, I just hope you're being safe," he quipped in a tone that sounded entirely too parental.

_Oh, dear_ … thought Roxanne.

Megamind had paused instantly, mouth open to offer a retort that never came.

"Oh, sir," Minion repeated, groaning in despair. "You _didn't_ …"

"I… didn't think… " He gathered himself visibly. "Look, Minion, it's doubtful our DNA is even similar enough to be compatible!"

"You can't know that without tests!" Minion objected, then asked hopefully: " _have_ you run any tests?"

"It's on my to-do list!" Megamind announced defensively.

Minion clapped a mechanical hand to his fishbowl. "This is a disaster..."

At least here Roxanne could help. "It's okay, Megamind, Minion. I'm… Uh…" she shrugged, fighting the burning heat in her face. "On the pill."

The entire room seemed to sigh with relief.

"Well, thank goodness _one_ of you has some sense!" said Minion pointedly. "Sir, I am very disappointed in you."

Megamind spoke through gritted teeth. "Could we discuss this later?"

"No, we can NOT discuss this later," Minion replied in his best parental tones. "Sir, you have a reputation to uphold now, and—What are you doing?"

Megamind had walked up behind the hovering brain bot, tucking the edges of the sheet tightly under one arm, and started fiddling with something on its back.

"I understand," he sounded bored. "Reputation. Yes."

Minion's eyes narrowed, his tone slow with barely restrained suspicion. "With all due respect, Sir, if you're doing what I think you're—"

"What was that Minion?" Megamind called loudly.

"Sir, leave that audio-visual receptor alone!"

"I can't hear you!"

"Stop that!"

"There seems to be a problem with the receptor!"

"Problem with—That's because you're messing with it!"

"Minion? Ollo? If you can hear me—"

"Of course I can hear you!"

"…I'll talk to you this afternoon when I get home!"

"Sir! Don't you dare turn off that—"

The image went blank.

Megamind heaved a great sigh and idly petted the brainbots. Then he walked to the far side of the room, where he had thrown his collection of clothing, and awkwardly held the sheet with one hand while fumbling with his leather pants. He extracted his wallet and turned back to the brainbots.

"Here," he said, holding out a twenty-dollar bill. "Daddy needs you to take this, go to the bait shop, and buy Uncle Minion something nice. Some nice mill worms or maybe some minnows. No, no, no," he admonished as one of them snapped at the money. "Not for chewing. Daddy will bring you a new wrench to play with when he comes home. Now go get Uncle Minion a treat."

The little robots circled him once by way of a goodbye, the lead one obediently taking the money in a dangling claw, and flew out the window. The last one ran into the windowsill, and Megamind sighed, scooped it up, turned back on its electronic eye, and patted it. It sped out the window, chattering irately at its receding fellows. Roxanne could almost imagine a running child shouting for his friends to wait up.

"Well," Megamind said, slumping to the bed. "That certainly woke me up. Maybe it would be simpler if you stayed over at the Lair next time." He grinned suddenly, his lightning-quick thoughts leaping to a new subject. "I'm starving! Where's that lasag-na?"

"For breakfast?"

"It's nearly eleven! Besides, it's better than cereal and wine."

Roxanne laughed. "I guess I can't argue with that." She sighed and got up, pretending not to watch Megamind as he dropped the sheet and began pulling on his clothes.

Megamind, thoughtful as ever, had put the food into the refrigerator sometime during the night. The salad Roxanne had made had wilted, but the lasagna was wonderful once reheated. Sitting on the small balcony outside the glass double doors, they enjoyed the pleasant, invigorating bite of the autumn air. Megamind ate voraciously, but then, Roxanne supposed, he _had_ gotten quite a work out the night before.

That thought made her chuckle.

"And just what do you find so amusing, Miss Ritchi?" he teased in that heart-melting tenor of his.

She looked at him, adorably happy with his favorite food and his favorite girl. It took so little to please Megamind sometimes, and his exuberance, coupled with his persona as a dark superhero, seemed both oxymoronic and oddly fitting. It was… relaxing and somehow comforting to be around someone who was so content.

"Has anyone ever told you you're cute?" Roxanne asked, dishing out another serving of lasagna to him.

He grinned at her. "Yes, actually. An inmate in Metrocity Prison when I was a toddler. His name was Kip Kendall— or at least that's what people called him. I'm not sure if Kip was a nickname, honestly. He'd been convicted of murdering some thugs who got on his bad side, and he was very possibly the toughest, meanest brute on Cell Block A. But he was always nice to me when I was young. Around anyone else he was stern and dangerous… Around me, well, he was the closest thing to a father figure I had. He used to play pattie-cake with me, if you can believe that, and carry me around the Yard on his shoulders. No one dared to mock him for it either— not even the guards— and if anyone thought less of him for it, they were smart enough to keep it to themselves." His eyes grew distant as a sad memory ghosted behind them. "I'll never forget the day Uncle Marlow—one of the other two inmates who took the most interest in my upbringing—took me aside and explained that Uncle Kip had gone. Kip had been given consecutive life sentences by a jury too forward-thinking to give a clearly unbalanced man the death penalty, but Cancer had other ideas. I'd known he was sick— they'd had to take him to the infirmary, and the last time I visited him there he seemed so… so unlike himself— but when he went it still felt… wrong. Sudden. I remember thinking how unfair it was that he left without saying goodbye."

Roxanne reached across the table, laying her hand over his, willing him to open his soul and let the old pain dissipate like dark mist in the sunlight.

"I remember feeling that way when—" Roxanne's voice caught. She'd never actually told anyone else this before. Not even the expensive psychologist her grandparents had taken her to for years. With a deep breath, she continued. "I remember feeling that way when my mom died. I was fifteen, in my senior year of high school, and someone told me I had to go to the principal's office. I kept thinking and thinking, trying to figure out what I'd done wrong, and then I saw Principal Hartwell's face. The school counselor and my granddad were with him. And I knew. Somehow I just knew," she paused, wrapping her arms around herself and staring at the glass tabletop. "I started crying before they could even tell me, and I kept asking how. I remember someone saying something about icy roads, and dozing off at the wheel, and how it was no one's fault. I hated that person for saying that. I wanted it to be someone's fault, to be able to blame somebody. I wanted to blame the car company for not making her sedan stronger, or the hospital for making her work that stupid double shift, or my sperm donor for leaving us so that she had to work so many hours in the first place. But more than anything else," she dared to lift her eyes to his, "for a long time, I wanted to blame her for not saying goodbye."

Megamind stood up and moved beside her chair to wrap one arm around her shoulders. She leaned into his warmth, laying her hand on his.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I had already left Metrocity High School by then. If I had known... I would have been there."

Roxanne laughed a little through her sorrow. "Yeah, that would have gone well... The city's new supervillain showing up to offer a spikey shoulder to cry on." She sighed and squeezed his hand. "You know you couldn't have, no matter how much you might have wanted to."

"I would have. I loved you even then, and I would have done anything for you." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm so sorry you lost your mother that way."

"It's alright. I mean, it's not alright, not really, but… It was a long time ago. I still miss her, but I've kept going. I've built a life for myself, just like she would have wanted." Roxanne sighed, but the sound held more relief than sadness. "You know, it's kind of nice to finally talk about it."

Megamind bent to lay his cheek on top of her head. She could almost hear the gentle smile in his voice. "It's nice to finally have someone to talk about it with," he said.


	3. Daylight and Dark Chapter 3 - Ares

There were moments in life when Roxanne couldn't help but think about perspective: about how funny it was that a person could never clearly see the road to their destination until that destination had been reached. She'd felt that way one bitter winter morning, in her office, when she had suddenly realized that she was becoming one of those sentimental hack reporters she'd always hated. She'd felt that way on the long-ago windy spring afternoon when she had finally understood that she would never have feelings for Metro Man, and she'd felt it on the early summer day last year when she'd learned, to her own surprise, she was in love with his former nemesis. Roxanne had that same feeling tonight. Stepping out of the taxi Megamind had insisted on paying for she'd immediately been met by three brainbots. Greeting them with pats, she had walked the last block through the biting December chill with her unusual escort bowging at her heels. The little cyborgs had darted away once their charge reached Megamind's invisible doorstep, probably to inform their master of her arrival. Now she stood alone and stared at a cross-stitched sampler, hung incongruously on what appeared to be a solid wall, which read: "Lair Sweet Lair" in slightly crooked letters. What was he up to?

That September afternoon on the balcony, after the first night they made love, had been a turning point in Roxanne and Megamind's relationship. She had expected that, of course, but now that she had arrived at this still-mysterious milestone in her life, something in the back of her mind teased that it had been even more important than she'd realized. They had shared deep, personal sorrows, hidden from all other eyes, and an impenetrable glass wall had been removed. She realized, at this moment, that something undefinable had happened as well. Ever since that day, something had begun building between them, unnoticed and unspoken, creating a channel into which two spirits were poured and mingled. Try though she might, however, that something refused to slide into focus. It was both elating and terrifying, for Roxanne had not fully expected the cozy intensity that she and Megamind had found. How was it possible to feel so relaxed, so at home, around someone that being near him was like snuggling into a favorite sweater, while still feeling so powerfully and passionately attached to that same person that he made you antsy, strangely warm, and a little nervous? How was it even possible to feel simultaneously self-conscious and comfortable in the first place?

The oddity of those emotions was disconcerting enough, but worse still was the fact that Roxanne had realized that she no longer loved solitude, because solitude meant Megamind wasn't around. True, she still enjoyed many of the same quiet hobbies— reading books, binging sci-fi movies, solving crossword puzzles—but now she was only happy if a certain blue alien was beside her, busily sketching design schematics for his latest invention, or pointing out in hilariously descriptive detail why a particular piece of film prop "space tech" wouldn't actually work at all. She had always disdained those couples who seemed to be attached at the hip: the sort that showed up to every party together and skipped any function one of them couldn't attend. Now it seemed she was becoming half of one. Worst of all, she didn't mind. She liked it. She was sublimely happy with it.

 _What is wrong with me_?

She and Megamind had fallen into an easy rhythm as serene and unquestioning as the deepest friendship, yet had retained all the fire and ardor of a new infatuation. A traitorous little voice in her head asked if this was the way people felt before they got married, moved to the suburbs, gained ten pounds, and started daydreaming about babies. She refused to listen, refused to even consider the possibility of leaving chic professionalism for matrimonial doom, but that same little voice reminded her that it wouldn't be so bad as long as it was with Megamind. Despite all her denials, Roxanne had to admit that something new had grown between herself and her favorite hero, inching up, bit by bit, undetected, until suddenly she noticed it was all around her. Small kindnesses, shared moments, camaraderie and passion had all built into something beautiful, strange, and a little scary.

Which is what brought her to tonight and her current situation, as she stood shivering in the winter evening, looking at that foolish sampler and wondering why the sight of it set alarm bells ringing in her head. Megamind had invited her over, insisting that he had a Christmas gift that couldn't wait for Christmas, and she had not considered the oddity of the date until this moment.

_Why now? Why tonight?_

That was it. Roxanne's eyes widened with a realization that should have been obvious. Today was December 12th. Exactly eighteen years ago Margaret Ritchi, Roxanne's mother, had taken a turn too quickly, swerved on icy pavement, and ended her life. Although it wasn't unusual for Roxanne to visit her lover in the middle of the week, it was unlike Megamind to ask her over at a specific time, which indicated that he probably had something planned. It would be exactly like him to researched old traffic incidents just so that he could invite her over to cheer her up on the anniversary of her mother's death.

The question was, was he just planning on distracting her from her memories, or did he have something more serious in mind?

"Miss Ritchi," Minion appeared through the hologram wall, less than two feet away from Roxanne. She had to crane her neck up to look into the fishy face set atop his six-foot-tall robotic body. "Miss Ritchi, if you please, could you come inside? He's been watching you on the monitor for ten minutes and he's starting to worry."

"Oh, I… Of course. I'm sorry Minion. I just—"

It was always odd watching a fish smile. "No apologies needed. Just come inside before you freeze."

He ushered her through with the wave of a metallic arm, and Roxanne stopped so suddenly that he nearly crashed into her as he followed.

"Oh, my…"

Garlands. The Evil Lair was strung with garlands of faux evergreen twigs, plastic holly, and red and gold ribbons. Multiple strings of colored lights, hung with no apparent order or plan in mind, blinked, chased, and sparkled in crisscrossing lines until the flashing dials and blinking buttons in the workroom looked like no more than additional decorations. In the middle of the yuletide chaos stood a massive Christmas tree, its top nearly lost in the shadows of the high ceiling. Brainbots hovered and buzzed around it, trimming it in a haphazard fashion that Roxanne suspected explained the random order of the rest of the decorations. Most of the items being hung on the tree were normal— glass balls, silvery snowflakes, diminutive, jolly Santas— but every now and again a brain bot added a shiny bit of wire or a large metal nut. Christmas carols were blaring from the nearby stereo.

"Roxanne! What do you think?" Megamind's happy voice startled her from her contemplation. He jumped down the last two industrial steps leading up to the second floor, his face glowing with good cheer and one arm sweeping out proudly to indicate the scene. Roxanne turned her eyes back to the seasonal décor and the happily buzzing robots. After the initial shock, it really wasn't so bad. In fact, it was almost cute, like the messy decorations of enthusiastic children.

"It's wonderful," she answered, turning back to her lover with a genuine smile.

He beamed at her. "I'm so glad you like it! And look," he added with a sly smile. "We've got rocket-toe!"

"Mistletoe, silly," Roxanne smiled, leaning up to give him a soft kiss.

"Rocket, missile, what does it matter? Missiles have rocket propulsion systems."

"Uh-huh," Roxanne's expression was all wry amusement.

"The early Soviet Vostok rockets were based on the R-7 ICBM," Megamind informed her. "So I can see no reason whatsoever why rocket-toe should be any less—"

"Megamind?"

"Hmmm?"

"It's still called Mistletoe."

"Potato, tomato, potato, cucumber," he answered with a teasing grin.

Roxanne laughed. "Cucumber? Really? Why cucumber?"

"Well, they both grow on vines. Yet tomatoes are technically fruits while cucumbers are vegetables."

Roxanne laughed. "I always thought that was kind of weird. I mean: why?"

"They're gourds."

"What?"

"Cucumbers. They're gourds."

"Megamind, I was talking about the tomatoes-are-fruits thing."

"Ah, well, botanically, they're ripened flower ovaries that contain seeds, and—"

"Sir—" interjected Minion.

"And this will really blow your mind: so are zucchinis!"

"Sir—"

"Think about it: cucumbers and zucchinis, so similar yet so different."

"Sir! Didn't you have something to show Miss Ritchi?"

"Oh! Of course!" his face lit up, and he grabbed Roxanne's hand "Come up! You'll love this! Wait until you see the dining room!"

"Dining… But you don't have a—"

"We do now! Follow me!"

He pulled her bodily past the command room and back up the metal stairs, her surprise growing with every step. The conference room near the kitchen— which had never seemed to serve much purpose since any meetings involved only Megamind, Minion, and, during the last several months, Roxanne— had, indeed, been transformed into a cozy dining room. Another garland swagged across the doorway, and a dark wood table, set as if in expectation of a festive meal, displayed a centerpiece of holly and ribbons surrounding three crème-colored candles. Beside the industrial stairs leading to the third floor— their banisters also bedecked in Yuletide fashion— the plain bathroom that had once served the offices over the factory had been updated and expanded. It looked as if it belonged in a wealthy grandma's house— if Granny had decided to go Goth. A largely unused, cavernous storage space had been turned into a sitting room. It proudly boasted not only a black leather sofa, matching recliner, and built-in dark wood bookshelves stuffed with second-hand volumes, but also an old-fashioned pot-bellied stove that Roxanne was almost certain was against fire codes. In one corner, a more elegantly decorated Christmas tree— probably Minion's work— stood glittering with white lights and antique glass ornaments.

Even that wasn't the most shocking addition to the new living space, however.

"Megamind, there aren't any external walls here. How on earth did you put in windows?"

"Isn't it great?!" he threw himself into the chair, grabbed a remote control from a side pocket, and aimed it at the window. Instantly the view of Metro City Beach was replaced by a forested mountain range.

"It's absurdly simple, really: just a high-definition liquid crystal monitor that I mounted behind framed glass and connected to video feeds that I've had set up in various locations! That conversation we had last autumn about your apartment windows gave me the idea. Look! If you don't like the view, you just change the scenery with a press of a button!"

He clicked the control a couple of more times, bringing up a snow-covered prairie, a quaint French village, and a tropical reef.

"Minion picked out the last one," he explained. "It also interfaces with the supercomputer, so you can use it for research, calls… Look, the frames retract for a better view!" he demonstrated. "Then you push this button, and... voila!" A holographic keyboard had appeared in midair above the remote. Megamind set the device down, and, to Roxanne's astonishment, began typing. A browser popped up on the "window," and he navigated to a video featuring winter scenery to the accompaniment of a Boston Pop's Christmas album.

"Megamind, that's really amazing" Roxanne managed. "All of this is, really... I mean, you've made it so—" she almost said "homey," but bit back the word and finished with: "comfortable."

"I'm glad to hear you say that!" There was something warm in his voice that both thrilled and frightened her. "Oh! Oh! Oh! But it gets even better!" He leaped up and tugged her out of the room. "Let me show you what we've done upstairs!"

The third floor, once comprised of large executive offices, was where Minion and Megamind slept. Roxanne had been there many times in the past weeks, though she was admittedly usually too preoccupied to notice the décor.

Megamind's room had changed from a blacked-out bachelor pad to a stylishly Gothic bedchamber. The walls were a rich blue. A full suite of carved ebony furniture—bed, wardrobe, nightstand, and chest of drawers— had replaced the previous collection of mismatched thrift finds. The ornate four-poster sported a new satin coverlet set in hues of gray, black, and cobalt, and was piled with silky-looking ash-colored pillows that Roxanne suspected matched the sheets. An impressionist oil painting of a historic street at night— rendered almost entirely in blue shades and black shadows— and a large mirror both hung in antique silver frames. Two lamps and a small chandelier, all wrought iron, completed the picture. It belonged on the cover of Evil Lair and Garden. Or maybe as the set of a photoshoot for Bad Boys Weekly. That would be better. All it lacked was its sexy male occupant lounging on the covers. The thought made Roxanne shiver with delight.

Minion's room reminded her of a garden pool, all greens, browns, and teals. Its bamboo furnishings and simple stone accents gave it a slightly Asian ambiance. The style was completely different from Megamind's Vampire Chic bedroom. Full of clean lines and abstract art, it looked more like a post-modern interior design catalog than a Goth culture magazine.

"He picked everything out himself," Megamind was saying. "You should have seen him, like a kid in a candy store! When I told him I wouldn't invade his privacy by bringing you to his room, he was utterly offended! He insisted that if I didn't show you he would never speak to me again. And that I could expect literally everything he cooked to be smothered in mayonnaise for at least a week!" The blue man made a show of shuddering in horror. Looking around, he added: "I should have let him redecorate years ago."

"I'm curious, why is there no bed?"

"Roxanne, he's a fish. He lives in a fishbowl."

The grin she gave him was three parts knowing and one part sly triumph. "And so he has a bedroom because….?"

Megamind blushed a little under his blue tint. "Well, I mean, you know..."

Cocking one arm to rest on her hip, Roxanne gently poked his chest with her other forefinger. "I always knew you were a big softy deep inside, even when you were a supervillain."

He spluttered. "That isn't… I am not… I was disgustingly horrifying! And..."

She laid a finger over his lips. "I always knew, and I love you for it." Smiling into his emerald eyes, she tilted her face up to give him a long, deep kiss. "Now, before you take me back to your new bedroom, tell me: what's that other door at the end of the hall?"

"That, well," He smiled and rubbed one ear, a nervous gesture she had come to adore. "That's my early Christmas present to you. Come have a look."

He took her hand gently this time, and when he pushed open the third door, Roxanne's mouth fell open.

"Ta-da!" his tone was all bold showmanship as he waved at their surroundings, but Roxanne knew him well enough to recognize the uneasiness hidden behind the bravado.

She stared around wide-eyed at the vaguely familiar round room. The industrial elevator and second floor had been removed. Everything in it had been changed so completely that it took her a moment to recognize the place she had awoken during her final kidnapping. A spiral staircase now led to a cozy loft and catwalk lined with wooden bookcases. All of the equipment had been moved out, the domed walls and ceiling had been expertly plastered and painted, and, where there had once been a telescope with mechanical shutters, there were now two glass doors leading onto a private balcony overlooking Lake Michigan. It was… perfect. Wonderfully, frighteningly perfect. Her own style—too formal to be modern but too clean to be antique—her favorite colors—sage green, sky blue, and soft ivory with cheerful red accents. The bookshelves—obviously custom-made to fit the curving walls—and few other pieces of furniture were warmly-stained oak that exactly matched the contents of her apartment. There were several empty spaces where she was clearly intended to move in her things. Roxanne knew she should have been thrilled—all the work, care, and expense he'd put into this would be enough to make any one of those silly interns goofy with elation—but all she could feel was cold dread.

"I was thinking we could put your living room suite upstairs to make a reading nook! And look!" He grabbed another remote control from a bracket on the wall. "I've renovated the alligator pit!" With the push of a button, a round trap door—one the reporter remembered with something almost like fondness— opened, and a half-moon desk with a cushy office chair rose on a platform to click into place with the rest of the floor. "I've, ah, also included controls in a hidden wall panel. I know how you lose remotes." He paused expectantly. "So, what do you think?" His smile was starting to look a little forced around the edges.

"Wow, Megamind," she tried not to sound unhappy. His feelings could be so easily crushed, though he tried to hide it. "This is…unexpected..."

His face fell slightly, and she searched quickly for something more positive to say.

Deciding on gentle honesty, she added: "I mean, this is exactly the way I would have decorated it myself. I had no idea…"

"Really?" God, she hated the vulnerable hope in his eyes.

"It's beautiful. It is. And sweet. But…"

"But?" he urged uncertainly, nervously fiddling with one of the studs on his black leather gauntlet.

"It just… This… All of this… It's happening so fast." It sounded like a canned response even to her.

True to form, her blue-skinned lover tried to put on a brave face with humor. "Oh, come on, you already sleep here more than you do your own place. This would make everything easier."

"Megamind, this is serious. I'm not sure if I'm ready yet."

"If there's one thing I've learned from all my battles, it's that there are some things you'll never feel ready for, but if you really want it, you just have to jump in anyway."

"Okay, but this? We've never even discussed me moving in, and this is just one step away from being married, and… I just…" she sighed. "I love you. I do, but I've never lived with someone before, and I… I need a little time to think this over." she finished lamely. Seeing his unhappy face, she added: "I'm not necessarily saying no, just...not yet."

"But Roxanne—"

"This is a wonderful gesture, but it's so sudden. I just don't think I can."

"Of course you can. Please, Roxanne, Sweetheart, say yes. Stay here with me," his voice took on an almost pleading tone. "It doesn't have to feel like we're living together. That's why you have a separate bedroom. Whenever you need time to yourself, you know I'll always give it to you."

"Megamind, it's not—"

"This doesn't have to be any more than you want it to be."

"Megamind, please—"

"I'll never invade your privacy unless you want me to." He dropped his voice to a sultry purr. "And when I do, I'll invade it very, very well."

"That isn't what—"

"I promise I'll be the best roommate you've ever had. We share a bathroom," he indicated the door on the left-hand wall. "There wasn't room for two, but there is a double sink. And I can use the facilities downstairs if you need me to."

"That's really sweet, but it's not the issue. I'm not ready for this."

"Stay anyway."

"I can't"

He crossed his arms. "Can't, or won't?"

"Why are you being so pushy about this?! You never push! And now you're asking me to give up my apartment, change my life… Megamind, that's a huge decision!"

"You're right. I never push. I've never before asked you for anything unless it involved protecting this city. But you know what? I'm asking now. This is the only request I've ever made of you. So please, please do this for me."

"Damn it, Megamind, that is so unfair!" Hot tears stung Roxanne's eyes. "I can't! Not yet! I'm not ready! And it's really low of you to pull that never-asked-for-anything card!"

That hit a nerve. "I am NOT pulling a card, Roxanne! I'm being very, very honest!"

"I didn't mean… I just…"

"I'm offering you everything! My home! My privacy! A place in every aspect of my life! I am offering you—a reporter!—all my secrets! I'm offering my feelings, my time, my vulnerability! I'm pulling out my heart here, Roxanne, pulling it out and laying it at your feet! Don't pay me back by stomping on it!"

There was ringing silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry," Megamind said at last. "That… It wasn't fair of me… to say..." He drew in a deep breath. "I just really need you to stay here."

Roxanne swiped at her eyes in frustrated, jerky movements.

"I think I'd better go."

"No!" he grabbed her arm.

"Let go!" She jerked free and stormed toward the door.

"Roxanne!" Megamind dodged around to block her path. "Roxanne, listen to me! I know you're upset, but please let me explain!" He braced his back against the door as she tried to push past him. "This isn't just about me wanting you close! This is about your safety!"

"My… Oh, God, now you're starting with the helpless damsel crap?!" She tried to push past him again.

"No! Sweetheart!" He held his ground, tried to grab her hands when she scrabbled for the doorknob. She wanted to slap him. "Listen! I know you can take care of yourself under normal circumstances, but things have changed! Something's happened, and now… Roxanne, Metrocity isn't safe for you anymore!"

That stopped her in her tracks. "Megamind, what are you talking about?"

"I didn't want to bring this up until I could gather some more information." Fishing into his pocket, he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "I didn't want to worry you yet, not until I had a plan… " He sighed. Reluctantly, Megamind handed over a letter, written in oddly formal calligraphy.

_My Dear Hesperos,_

_I have recently undertaken a business proposition in Metro City, which I understand is under your protection. In general, I applaud your intelligent planning and remarkable success in execution, but I wish you to understand that I cannot allow my operations to be jeopardized. Although your newfound love of justice and position as Defender of Metro City are both, to say the least, surprising, I shall not disparage your change in career. However, I believe that you also have seen enough of the world and society through the eyes of a villain to know that law and justice are, too often, completely disparate, and that sometimes an act of villainy is the only truly righteous course. Therefore I am sending this correspondence as both a professional courtesy and as an offer of peace._

_Out of respect and remembered fondness for you, I desire to find a mutually beneficial compromise. It is therefore my hope that this communication will achieve two purposes. First, I wish to assure you that my activities within your city will neither be aimed against the populace at large nor intended to undermine the normal daily operations of the city itself. I will not, however, insult your intellect or my honor by claiming actions will be viewed, by the strictest interpretation of the law, as anything other than criminal. Nonetheless, be assured that it is my intention to complete my business quickly, discreetly, and without any more loss of life than is necessary. Second, I wish to cordially advise you not to attempt to dissuade me. I do not desire harm to come to you, or any dear to you, but I am a gentleman of business and must protect my interests. If you will consent to allow me to complete my task without interference, you will hardly notice my presence. However, if you take it upon yourself to trouble me, I am afraid I shall have to extract a dire price._

_I would take no joy in harming a lovely young lady like Miss Ritchi, but accidents do happen, especially to those who oppose me._

_Yours in Good Faith,_

_Ares Coeus_

Roxanne felt slightly cold by the time she finished reading. To think that when she'd first arrived, she'd been worried about whether Megamind wanted to become too serious!

But she hadn't become a star reporter by letting fear overcome spunk and curiosity. "Ares? Like the god of war?" she managed a wry grin. "Really? That's a little dramatic."

Megamind didn't share her humor. "Yes, like the god of war."

His lack of gaiety further chilled her, and something about that name tugged at the depths of her mind. "I think... I think I remember hearing about someone called Ares now. He escaped Metro City Prison for the Criminally Insane when I was in the fourth grade. No one had ever done it before. No one except you has done it since. People were panicking. Some parents wouldn't let their kids go to school."

He didn't answer.

Roxanne cleared her throat. "So… Hesperos. Is that you?"

"Yes. It was Ares' name for me. Hesperos Oldwin."

"Oldwin. That doesn't really fit the pattern. All the other names he chose sound Classical."

"It's not. Ares was obsessed with Greek myths, among other things—especially with both his namesake and with the story of the titan Cronos eating his own children, who were then reborn as gods—but the ancient Greeks didn't have a word for 'blue.'"

"Seriously?"

He made a brave attempt at a chuckle. "Clearly they didn't appreciate the finer things, at least where colors were concerned," His weak smile couldn't seem to hold onto his lips, and quickly fell away. He sighed. "Anyway, Ares gave me the name Hesperos Oldwin because it means Morning Star Blue Sky. The blue part is obvious—"

"Hmmm," she agreed

"And then, of course, my escape pod came from the stars and fell from the sky."

"So he was, what? Your friend? Why is he threatening you?"

"I think I was the closest thing to a friend Ares ever had, but that wasn't very close. More like hero worship." At Roxanne's look, he grimaced slightly. "Remember, I was young and… less brilliant."

"But you liked him?"

"'Like' is too strong a word. Ares was… strange, but he enjoyed my company when I was a boy because I was the only one who could keep up with his intellect, even beat him as chess, although I quickly learned that outsmarting him too much led him to abandon me for days on end. He could be… disinterested, but more often he talked to me, sometimes for hours, when he wasn't locked in solitary confinement. I thought he was cool— smooth, sophisticated, well-spoken, smart, tough— and maybe I liked finding someone fairly close to my own age who didn't revile me for a change." He studied his black boots. "Maybe it made me feel special that I was the only other person he bothered naming."

Roxanne gently lifted his chin. "You were lonely. I can't really blame you."

"I can." Megamind sighed. "As I grew older I began to realize that some things about him were just… off. It wasn't until years afterward that I learned 'morning star' is also the meaning of the name Lucifer, as in the devil in most Abrahamic religions. By that time Ares was already gone, but I have the feeling the parallel wasn't an accident. The worst part is, I don't think he meant it as an insult."

"Okay, but how much of that is just a persona? You once said that the difference between a villain and a supervillain is presentation."

"Minion said that," he reminded her.

"It's still true."

"This is different."

"I don't mean he's necessarily a supervillain. You grew up in prison. You're better at analyzing criminal minds than any psychiatrist I've ever heard of. I've seen you figure people out so fast it's almost like mind-reading. I'm guessing Ares isn't his real name, so clearly he's putting on a show. How much is him and how much is just an act?"

"Oh, you don't understand!" Megamind threw up his hands and began pacing. "Ares does not play at evil insanity. He's the real deal! No one in that prison ever crossed him. Convicts, guards, even the warden feared him. Most people, even criminals, have limits… lines they won't cross, but Ares… He had no lines. He would be a perfectly nice and polite man until someone did something he didn't like—anything, a tone of voice, the wrong look—and then, in a flash, he could turn horrible and callous. He would get this cold smile on his face, and you knew sometime soon something truly terrible was going to happen to that person. And it never bothered him. Not even a little."

"You make him sound like a monster."

"He is."

Roxanne stood up and stopped his pacing with a hug. "No, Megamind. He's just a man."

With a sigh, Megamind gently pushed her away. "Roxanne," he looked in the eye. "I was twelve when Ares was arrested. He was only a few years older than me, not quite a legal adult, but they sent him to a high-security facility for the criminally insane. Do you know why? When he found out his father was cheating on his mother, Ares murdered both the man and his mistress. And not in a crime of passion. He searched, learned, planned, and prepared. He learned about the spa resort his father often took his mistress to— an exclusive and very discreet place north of town—"

Roxanne was starting to feel a little sick. "Oh my God… The Nelson Case. You _knew_ that guy?"

"Yes. Ares' real name is Eric Nelson."

"I read about that trial for a paper when I was in college. Did he really kill them in the steam room?"

Megamind nodded. "He told me all about it. Bragged. The fake ID, the forged credentials, the Social Security System hack… And then he got a maintenance job at the spa resort. Even though he was rarely around guests, he was always in disguise, even changing his mannerisms and the way he walked… He learned how the steam system worked, created a bypass for the safety measures…." Megamind shuddered. "Roxanne, he literally steam broiled those people alive. And he watched. He stood there and he watched. His own father…" With a shake of his head, Megamind added: "He wasn't even sorry. Ares called himself a 'soldier of righteousness,' and insisted it was the legal system that was corrupt."

"How could he think that?"

"He's crazy. But he's also calculating, cold, and cruel. That makes him dangerous. When his twisted sense of honor and justice is incensed, he is capable of truly horrific things." He sighed again. "After Ares escaped prison, he joined a paramilitary organization, but apparently his philosophies were too... extreme for them. The last I heard, he was working as an assassin, but he only takes certain jobs that he feels are in line with his off-center views of right and wrong. He's so good at making his murders look like accidents that no one— not even in the criminal underworld— really knows what his kill count is. Even so, the sorts of 'accidents' he causes… Let's just say people don't hire Ares if they want the funeral to be open casket."

"Maybe he's not serious." Even to her, it sounded more like a plea than a suggestion. "What if he's just playing mind games with you?" Roxanne trailed off as she studied her lover's face.

"No. Ares isn't like other villains we've faced… like I was. This isn't something he does for fame, money, petty revenge, or for the simple reason that he's bored out of his skull and needs intellectual stimulation. He doesn't play games, or if he does, he plays for keeps."

It felt as if ice had replaced her spine. "And you really think he'll do it? That he'll find me?"

Green eyes met hers, and something in their depths made the ice expand to fill her stomach.

"Megamind?"

He glanced away again, like he couldn't bear to see her reaction. "Roxanne, there were..." his throat bobbed. "There were photographs of you enclosed with the letter," he answered quietly, as if lowering the tone of his words would somehow lessen their impact. "They were… One was of you standing just inside the glass doors to your balcony—"

"Oh my God." she breathed, moving to collapse into the desk chair.

"One was of you leaving the news station. The last was of you jogging in Hill Top Park." He finally met her gaze again. "Sweetheart… I'm sorry… He has already found you." He knelt beside her, turned the desk chair to face him, and took her hands in his, looking earnestly up at her. "I have to try to stop him. You know I do. I'm the good guy now. But I can't do that and watch your back at the same time. Not if we're apart. That's why I really, really need you to stay here."

Something in her vaguely understood that she should care about that, but it suddenly seemed as if her brain, overwhelmed with terror, had opted to turn itself off. Her heart, in contrast, was screaming and she felt like she might be physically ill. This, Roxanne decided distantly, must be what a panic attack felt like.

"What about… my job?"

"Telecommute."

Her laugh sounded bitter in her own ears. "I'm an on-scene correspondent. I can't telecommute."

"Then take some time off," he offered gently. "We'll talk to the station, or have the officials contact them. This is little different from a witness protection program. And it's only temporary. They'll have to understand."

"And if they don't?"

"I'll make them."

Roxanne buried her face in her palms. She heard the tread of leather boots, the sighing swish of a cape, and deft hands began massaging her shoulders. Megamind's voice spoke gently behind her.

"Roxanne. Listen to me. It will be alright. Everything will be alright. We are going to get through this. He hasn't found this place, and I've made some alterations to ensure it stays that way."

"How do you know he hasn't found your hideout?" she asked between her fingers. "You can't possibly know that."

"He hasn't. Trust me. His letter was sent to my fan mail post box. Ares likes keeping people off balance, making them feel he has the upper hand. If he had known where my Lair was, he would have found a way to deliver it directly here. He didn't, which means we're safe. I've been working on some enhancements for a while, but Minion and I have put in a lot of hours to finish them quickly. This entire building is now outfitted with a cloaking shield: a hard light hologram similar to what the holowatch produces. I took it down briefly when I saw you approach, and put it back up once you came in. Now all anyone will see is an empty, condemned building. No dome, no signs of life, nothing."

Turning the chair to face him, she suddenly threw her arms around Megamind and held him close. He knelt to let her hide her face against his neck. Like a child awakened from a bad dream, Roxanne buried herself in his warmth and breathed in the comfort of his scent.

"I'm sorry," her words were muffled by his skin.

He ran gentle hands up and down her arms. "I am too."

"You shouldn't be. You're doing your best."

"We both are."

"I'm so sorry I yelled at you."

"You didn't know."

The moment of weakness passed, and Roxanne gathered herself, gluing pieces of broken confidence back together with spunky determination and brave humor.

"Yeah, well, you know, you could have told me this sooner and saved us the trouble of arguing," she jibed halfheartedly, her crooked smile appearing through tears.

His answering grin was weak, and a little sad. "I didn't want to have to tell you. Not now, not tonight. And I didn't want to ruin your holidays." His shoulders drooped slightly. "Tonight was supposed to be about cheering you up. I wanted to make you happy, not terrify the living daylights out of you."

"But I thought you liked terrifying me. Why else did you kidnap me all the time?"

"How else could I spend time with you? Besides, you were really never scared of me. Annoyed, yes. Angry, sometimes, but never scared." He wrapped her in an embrace. "And I happen to think you're extremely sexy when you're angry."

That drew a tearful laugh from Roxanne. "Right, because, you know, that's one I've never heard before." Sighing, she looked back at her new bedroom. "Thank you for everything you've done, Megamind. If it's okay, I'll enlist the brainbots' help in moving my things tomorrow."

"I'll be glad to have them give you a hand, but we should do it late at night. That's when Ares… works. He'll be less likely to be watching your apartment."

They were silent for a moment.

"Well," Roxanne's voice held a tone of determined calm. "At least we have a plan."

He smiled. "We have a plan."

There was another pause.

"So..." casting around for something to say, Roxanne landed on: "how long has Ares been in Metro City, and what do we know so far?"

"Not much. I got the letter last Thursday, but Ares has been laying low. I've had brainbots guarding you twenty-four-seven."

"I thought I saw more of them around than usual. Wait," she looked around her room with new admiration. "You managed to get all of this pulled together in _six days?_ That's... Darling, that's beyond impressive! That's amazing!"

"Five and a half, to be precise," Megamind answered, standing up and managing another gray smile. "Incredibly Handsome Genius, remember? You'd be surprised what can be done with a little determination, a large budget, and thousands of tireless laborers."

"Large budget?"

"I have contracts with various companies for a cut of the profits from all Megamind merchandise sold, among other things."

"Seriously? That's not standard hero procedure, is it?"

"Being a good guy doesn't exactly pay well."

"Metro Man never did that."

"Ha. Metro Man was adopted by a multi-billionaire. He has a trust fund big enough to support an entire third-world country, not to mention that all of his abilities are inborn. I, on the other hand, have supplies to buy, bills to pay, evil inventions to construct..."

"I thought they weren't evil any more?"

"Well, evil only to evildoers." His burgeoning grin faltered. "Roxanne, be honest, are you angry at me? For not telling you sooner? I know you always hated it when Metro Man treated you like a powerless victim, and I want you to know that isn't why I didn't tell you. I just wanted the brainbots to do a little reconnocense first. And, as I said, I wanted you to enjoy the holiday season before I threw this at you."

Drawing close to him, she cupped his cheek and looked sincerely into his face. "No. I'm not angry. Not now that I understand." She hugged him once more. "But from now on I need you to trust me enough to just tell me things. I can't be prepared if I don't know."

"It's a deal."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

She pulled away enough to look into his eyes. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

He kissed her cheek. "I suppose it's possible I could have handled it a little better."

She finally managed a real grin. "Maybe a little." She held her hands a foot apart. "Like this much."

"Oh, come on, not that much." He moved her arms closer until her palms were only a couple of inches apart. "Maybe that much."

"This much," she spread her hands even wider.

His mouth quirked. "Now you're just being unreasonable."

Despite everything, they both laughed, releasing the tension in the air.

"I'm glad I'm here," Roxanne said.

"Me too." He held her, kissed her brow. "You'll be happy here, Sweetheart. I'll do everything I can… I want this to be comfortable, and good… You like having your own space, and that's fine, but I want you to know that this is your home, too. Always."

She felt herself smile, although the expression lacked its usual confident strength. He wasn't wrong. Sometimes Roxanne felt she practically lived in his hideout already. She and Megamind rarely spent the night at her apartment any more ever since Ms. Farley, a sweet but nosy elderly woman who lived next door, had caught Roxanne out in the hall one evening and invited her over for what had turned out the be the most awkwardly embarrassing cup of tea in all history.

"Listen, Dear," the old lady had said amicably after a few minutes of small talk. "Between you, me, and the lamppost, I just want to tell you that I am really very happy you and our hero have such a healthy and loving relationship, but— I really hate to bring it up— but maybe three in the morning is a little late for… nocturnal activities? And… well… you might just ask him to be a little more circumspect about his language? It's only that Len Paszek mentioned that his little boy asked last week what all those funny words the Defender kept shouting meant…"

Megamind had blushed fuchsia when she'd told him, and admitted that one of his new friends on the police force had laughingly informed him they had received no fewer than three noise complaints from other tenants in Roxanne's building.

"He seemed to think I needed to be congratulated?" the blue man had said uncertainly. "He kept slapping my back and saying I must be doing something right?"

Roxanne had felt her own cheeks burning. "I… um… yeah, that's a… pretty normal human male bonding ritual…"

"Humans are strange," Megamind had informed her.

They'd spent almost every night at the Lair ever since.

"Sir, Code C and C," Minion's voice crackled from the vicinity of his master's left hand disrupting Roxanne's thoughts.

"Code what?" Megamind asked into his wrist.

"Cookies and cocoa!" Minion explained. "Come and get it while it's—No no no! That is not a toy! Drop it! Drop it right now!"

A sound suspiciously like breaking china echoed through the watch's speaker.

Megamind and Roxanne looked at each other and laughed again. It felt good. "I suppose we had better go downstairs while the cookies are still edible," the blue hero said. "You don't mind, do you, Roxanne? It's just that— well, you know— Minion has planned out this entire evening, and it really means a lot to him…" he trailed off as Roxanne gave him his favorite knowing smile.

"Thank you and Minion both for planning tonight. Of course I want to be a part of it." She sighed, looking down one more time at the disturbing letter. "Let's just take a step back. We can deal with this tomorrow. Besides," she brightened slightly. "I wouldn't miss Minion's home baking for anything."

Megamind chuckled again. "Be sure to tell him that." With a dramatic flourish, he swept his cloak behind one shoulder and offered her his arm. "Now, Miss Ritchi," he purred in that tone that always melted her down to her toes. "If you'll come with me, please, I fully intend to spend the next several hours cuddling by the stove, if only I could find a beautiful, intelligent girl to cuddle with."

A small, very grown-up and professional part of Roxanne hated that Megamind always knew how to make her blush. The rest of her, however, adored it.

"I think I can oblige," she answered, linking her arm through his.

He returned her smile and led her downstairs.


	4. Daylight and Dark Chapter 4 - Truth or Dare?

"No, absolutely out of the question." Megamind was perched on a metal scaffold, busily working on a project that currently looked like little more than a chassis frame with a lot of wires and a few bare parts. He was using something that vaguely resembled a soldering iron, making careful adjustments to mysterious components within an enforced box. Roxanne suspected it contained the power source, as every now and again something he did caused blue sparks to dance.

She watched him for a moment, appreciating the view of his intellect at work, before asking: "Never ever?"

He paused long enough to lift his protective goggles for a moment and give her an exaggerated grimace. "There is not even a fraction of a chance."

"Seriously?" Roxanne gestured with the scissors she was using to cut out sections from the day's newspapers. Megamind had explained that Ares, unlike others they had faced, would neither openly confront him nor accept a public challenge, so they would have to find him. He'd increased brainbot patrols, of course, but he'd insisted that Ares would be hard to locate, and that any odd patterns in criminal activity or reports of suspicious events could offer a lead. So Roxanne, eager for useful employement, had volunteered to clip articles of interest. The brainbots were hanging each one for future reference.

It felt good to help. Besides, it was nice working with him like this. It said something about Megamind that, despite knowing a passionless killer had been stalking her, she felt comfortable, safe, even relaxed here with him.

Relaxed enough, in fact, to tease. "What if someone offered you a billion dollars?" she asked after a moment. "You wouldn't even consider it?"

"Uh, I still consider Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes to be my arch-nemesis, so, _NO_ , I would never _ever_ kiss my greatest rival. Just the thought makes me—Ugh!" He finished with theatrical emphasis and grinned at Roxanne's laughter. "What about you?" he asked, lowering his goggles and turning back to his work.

"Oh, no, that was my question, not yours, and you didn't even do it right!"

"Oh, very well." He examined and touched up part of his work. More sparks flew. "Truth or Dare?" He asked.

"Dare," she gave him a challenging grin.

"Oooh! Living dangerously, are you?" He gave her a look she knew well—one that she'd seen often when he used to kidnap her regularly—and boomed: "You have called down the lightning, now prepare for the thunder!"

Roxanne's expression shifted to wry amusement. "You're stalling."

"I am not."

"You are too."

"Am no—Oh, no, you don't," he chuckled. "I am not having a shool yard argument with you."

"Tell me your dare, then," she challenged playfully, scanning the next sheet of newsprint.

"I, um, dare you to..." he glanced around, shifted the tool to his other hand, fished in his pocket, and tossed her his cell phone. Roxanne dropped the scissors to catch it. "Call the third number on speed dial and say exactly what I tell you!"

The call was picked up on the second ring. "Warden's office."

Megamind used a stage whisper. "Tell him you'd like to report the nasty body odor surrounding his prison."

"This is Roxanne Ritchi, reporting on the deplorable sanitary conditions in the Metro City Prison for the Criminally Gifted, where body odors have become so bad—"

"What?" the voice on the other end of the line asked.

"…That nearby residents have started registering complaints," Roxanne finished, pressing the phone against her shoulder to free both hands for her task. She was careful not to crush the daisy she'd tucked behind one ear. It was Thursday, and the reporter had awakened in Megamind's bed that morning to find a bouquet awaiting her on the nightstand.

"And there are snakes in the showers," Megamind urged with delight.

"Sources say the shower heads have all been replaced by garden snakes."

There was a pause before the man on the phone said dryly: "Megamind put you up to this."

"He totally did, yes," Roxanne agreed.

"Hey!" Megamind shouted. "I didn't tell you to say that! Stick to the script!"

"I can hear you talking, Lee!" The warden shouted back. "Before he asks," he continued to Roxanne, "no I didn't kick his dog, no, I don't want to sign up for daily facts about cats, yes, my refrigerator is running, and no, I don't need to catch it. Now tell our city's hero to get back to work." The line went dead.

"I don't think he likes you very much," Roxanne joked, switching the scissors to her other hand and laying down the phone.

Megamind heaved a dramatic sigh. "I didn't even get to the part about exploding toilets," he said, then brightened. "Oh, well, there's always next time."

Roxanne laughed. "You are incorrigible!"

"Uh, supervillain," Megamind gestured to himself as if it were obvious.

" _Former_ supervillain," Roxanne corrected.

"Still pretty villainous, though," he grinned. "The world's only bad good guy! Alright, it's your turn," he added, returning his full concentration to the task at hand.

"Truth or dare?" she asked.

"Truth!"

"Who's Lee? Is that your real name?"

"Ugh! No! It was the name I was assigned when I was growing up in prison. I've always hated it."

"Lee what?" she asked.

Megamind held out a hand, and a brainbot dropped a socket wrench into it.

"Lee Vice," he admitted, his voice slightly colored by embarrassed humor.

"Lee Vice? Like _Levis_? As in the _blue jeans_? That's almost cruel!"

"And now you know why I hated it. Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," she answered, clipping out another article.

"Playing it safe now?" he tossed her a smirk over his shoulder. She stuck out her tongue at him, and he chuckled. "What's the one action you regret most in your life?"

"I think… I think not being nicer to you sooner."

"Really?"

"Really. Looking back now, I realize, the whole kidnapping thing… You started that after I was there for one of your battles. You blew a hole in the lions' enclosure at the zoo with that ridiculous dinosaur robot—"

"The Destructosaur was not ridiculous!" he protested. "It was completely horrifying!"

"Megamind," her voice was full of affectionate teasing. "It looked like something someone would build after watching one too many episodes of Power Rangers."

"Hey!" he laughed. "Let's see you create your own robotic dinosaur; then you can criticize mine!"

"Okay, okay," she could feel her face glowing with humor. "Your Destructosaur was the scariest mechanical T-Rex I've ever seen!"

"It's the only one you've ever seen."

"It is not! There's that one at the mini-golf course!"

" _That's_ my competition? It blows bubbles! Barney would be more terrifying!"

"The point still stands," she giggled. "Anyway, you showed up and tried to get the lions to run amok while I was doing some fluff-piece at the zoo. I started covering you instead, and my boss at the time called my cell and yelled at me. He didn't even wait for me to get off the air. Do you remember?"

He scowled slightly. "Oh, I remember. He was bellowing so loudly that I could hear him inside the Destructosaur, even over all the commotion. He told you that he didn't need some _female hack_ getting herself killed trying to cover, and I quote, _a story too big for you_. Ha! Big! Big failure was more like it! Those were the laziest, most unambitious lions I have ever met!"

The memory made Roxanne rock with laughter. "I can still picture you waving those little T-Rex arms at them, shouting," she guffawed.

"Run! Be free! Strike fear into your oppressors!" Megamind quoted dramatically. "No, not that way! Here kitty kitty!"

Roxanne doubled over, laughing until it hurt. Megamind grinned at her, an odd pride in his expression as if he loved the fact he could bring her so much mirth.

"You are… Hilarious!" she managed between chortles. "I adore… That about you…"

"I _am_ rather adorable."

"You are," finally managing to bring herself under control, she wiped her eyes. "And you've always had a good heart, even when you were a supervillain. It was maybe a week later that you kidnapped me the first time, and called out Metro Man to rescue me, giving this _female hack_ a front-row seat to the hottest scoop in the city. All of a sudden my career took off, I got picked up by the biggest news station in Metro City, and I had my choice of all the prime stories. You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"I see what you're up to, my Nosy Reporter, but I'll give you a free answer on that one," his voice was tender. "Yes, I did it on purpose. You impressed me that day. Everyone else was running and panicking, but you were professional, calm, brave. You were young; you couldn't have been more than twenty-five, if even that, but you acted every inch the expert news correspondent. And you were beautiful. God, you were so beautiful standing there in that blue suit, an island of composure in a sea of chaos. I could hardly believe you were really there. It had been years since high shool but I recognized you immediately—"

"You remembered me?"

"You were a pretty girl, so intelligent that you'd skipped two grades and still been placed in advanced classes. And you were always too kind to laugh at me like everyone else did. So, yes, I remembered you." His expression grew hard. "To hear that— that bastard yelling at you... It's a good thing I spent that night in jail, or there's a pretty good chance I would have hunted him down. Anyway, I felt like you deserved a break, and I wanted to be the one who gave it to you. I started planning your kidnap as soon as I broke out of prison the next morning."

"I knew it. And that's why I wish I was nicer to you sooner. You'd had nothing but hard knocks in life—enough to turn anyone else cold and sour—but you still gave me this incredible gift. When I realized you'd calibrated your flamethrower to avoid hurting me, I should have understood what you were up to. I owe my success to you."

"You do not! Honestly! You're an excellent reporter, not to mention fiery and determined in all the right ways. You would have succeeded sooner or later without my help. I only expedited the process."

"You're sweet. You really are. And I really wish I'd treated you better from the start."

"You were never unkind. I still remember all those flirtatious comments you used to slip into our banter, Temptress," he tossed her another grin. "The intelligent conversations we had, the way I could watch your mind puzzling out my plan, you have no idea how much I loved all of it."

"Mmmm, but all this time we could have done so much more than flirt."

"Careful, Roxanne, or you'll distract me and I'll never get this done," he chuckled.

"Okay, okay. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

She thought for a moment and then felt a wicked smile tug her lips. "Who did you fantasize about the first time you ever… polished the blue rocket?"

"Polished the blue…? Oh, that's just wrong!"

"Well, who was it?"

"I am not answering that!"

"You know what the consequences are!"

"Remember that whole 'don't distract Megamind' thing we literally just discussed?"

"You're not getting out of this that easily!" she laughed. "Answer the question or else!"

"What's your answer, then?" he challenged.

"Oh, I don't need to fantasize about anyone when I rub your—"

"Oh ho ho! You know very well that is not what I meant, Miss Ritchi! Who was it?"

"It is not your turn." She crossed her arms, smiling another challenge at him. "Well?"

"No. We are not discussing this."

"Okay," she warned. "If you won't answer the truth, then you'll have to take the dare!"

Megamind put on his best supervillain voice. "You think you can frighten ME?! Do your worst!" He gave her an evil laugh, then added in his regular tones: "Not something that makes me stop what I'm doing, though."

"Hey, you don't get to set restrictions!"

He smirked over his shoulder. "Do you want this new hoverbike or not?"

"Fine," she pouted in mock peevishness.

He glanced at her again. "God, you look sexy when you do that."

"Stop it! Now _you're_ distracting _me_!"

"My apologies," he didn't sound apologetic at all. "Well? Have you thought of something? Remember, I'm judging you according to the standards of a formerly evil genius," he shot her another grin. "No pressure."

"Jerk." She snickered. "Alright, I've got it. I want you to perform something from Shakespeare."

"Shakespeare? You're kidding, right?"

She crossed her arms and cocked one hip. "Uh, no, I am not." She smiled crookedly. "Shakespeare. Right now."

"What makes you think I even know any Shakespeare?"

"With your flair for the dramatic? Of course you know Shakespeare!"

"Oooh!" He chortled. "Ouch!"

"I'm waiting!" Roxanne's attempt at irritated impatience was ruined by the smile she could feel at the corners of her lips.

"Alright, alright," pausing, Megamind motioned for a brainbot to bring over a small screwdriver and take back the wrench. He picked back up the odd electronic tool and reached deeper into the power box before he cleared his throat.

"Thus pour the stars down plagues for perjury," he began, his voice smooth and sonorous, each syllable ringing through the room. "Can any face of brass hold longer out? Here stand I. Lady, dart thy skill at me!" Even the brainbots had stopped to listen, hovering in place, though, to be fair, Roxanne wasn't certain whether they were enjoying the show or trying to decipher the command.

"Bruise me with scorn," Megamind continued in dulcet tones. "Confound me with a flout; thrust thy sharp wit quite through my ignorance; cut me to pieces with thy keen conceit, and I will wish thee never more to dance, nor never more in Russian habit wait. O," his tone soared in deep and poignant emotion. "Never will I trust to speeches penn'd, nor to the motion of a schoolboy's tongue, nor never come in vizard to my friend, nor woo in rhyme, like a blind harper's song! Taffeta phrases, silken terms precise, three-piled hyperboles, spruce affectation, figures pedantical; these summer-flies have blown me full of maggot ostentation: I do forswear them!" His declaration echoed like thunder. "And I here protest, by this white glove— how white the hand, God knows!— henceforth," he dropped to a purr that managed to throb with both adoration and sincerity. "My wooing mind shall be express'd in russet yeas and honest kersey noes: and, to begin—so God help me, la!—my love to thee is sound, sans crack or flaw."

There was a silence broken only by the buzzing of robotic drones returning busily to their work.

"Wow," Roxanne sighed. "Megamind. That was… Wow."

"Did I inspire you?" he teased.

"You inspired something," her voice mingled tantalizing suggestion with playful humor. "If you had monologued like that all these years I would have told Metro Man to pack off and give us some privacy!"

"My, my, I will have to keep that in mind!" He moved to begin connecting the wiring harness to the power source. "Now I believe it's my turn." She could hear the mischief in his voice. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," she answered automatically before she could think, and instantly regretted it.

"Same question," his grin was wicked.

"What?"

"I want to ask you the same question. Who did you think about the first time you ever—?"

"That's not fair! You can't ask me the same question I asked you!"

"You never stated that in the rules."

"That's because everybody knows it," She rolled her eyes and returned to her work, cutting out a small paragraph about a home invasion. It was a long shot, but nothing had been stolen so it was at least unusual. "It's like an unspoken rule."

"Oh, no," he countered with warm humor in his voice. "Unspoken rules don't count! Either it's a rule or it isn't."

"Ugh! You're impossible!"

"But I'm also right."

"Megamind!"

"Oh, very well, then. Tell me who your first crush was."

"But—"

He switched both tools to one hand long enough to shake a gloved finger at her. "That's more than fair, Miss Ritchi."

Roxanne sighed. "Fine. I… It was..." she mumbled something.

"Come again? I can't hear you!" Megamind teased in a singsong voice.

"It was Sherlock Holmes, okay?!"

He turned slowly, deliberately, pushing his goggles atop his large head and lifting disbelieving eyebrows. "Sherlock… Holmes?"

Roxanne cast her eyes to the ceiling and made an exasperated sound.

" _Sherlock Holmes_?" Megamind asked again, practically glowing with glee. "The _book character_?!"

"Hey, at least I gave you an honest answer," she protested with an embarrassed laugh, walking toward the waiting pile of local newspapers.

"Oh, no, no, no," he moved along the metal scaffold to keep her in sight. "I want to hear more about this!"

Roxanne's face was fire hot as she brought the next stack of print to the work table, but she crossed her arms defiantly as she leaned against the table's edge and smirked up at him. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm something of a sapiosexual. Smart guys always turn me on."

"And here I thought you only loved me for my glorious blue body," he teased.

"Haha. Okay, my turn. Truth or dare."

"Will a dare mean I have to stop working?" he'd turned back to the complex series of wires.

"Probably."

"Truth, then."

She grinned pointedly at him and deliberately used his own words. "Same question."

"That's hardly fair! You just said we couldn't ask a question twice!"

"And you said that rule didn't count."

"And you made me change my question!"

"I didn't _make_ you do anything!" she grinned triumphantly.

"Fine," he finished with the screwdriver and tossed it aside. A brainbot caught it before it hit the ground and darted over to the large tool chest. Megamind turned to face his lover and pushed his goggles onto his forehead again. "Dare."

Roxanne put a warm purr into her voice. "I dare you to come down here and kiss me."

It was his turn to grin and, hooking a nearby crowbar over one of the support cables holding his project in place, he zip-chorded down. Landing on his feet, running a few steps to absorb the impact, Megamind stopped inches away from her. In one fluid movement, he swung her around, tipped her back, and kissed her soundly.

They broke the kiss, but Megamind didn't pull away. "Truth or Dare?" he rumbled, his warm breath tickling her lips. She could smell a blend of minty toothpaste and strong coffee.

"Dare," she breathed.

Megamind tugged at the edge of her shirt. "I dare you to take this off."

She did, pulling her white sleeveless top over her head to reveal a black satin bra trimmed in red embroidery.

"And to kiss me back," he added.

Cupping his face, Roxanne brought his lips down to hers and complied with dedicated thoroughness.

They were both hot and breathless when they finally parted. The hero began nibbling a path between his lover's ear and shoulder, the tickle of his goatee and teeth making her squirm in delight.

"Megamind?" she panted, running one hand up the front of his black leather shirt.

"Hmmmm?" he said against the skin of her neck

"I dare you to undress."

He grinned and threw aside his cloak and collar. Reaching behind himself— God, he was flexible!— he unzipped his leather shirt partway. Roxanne helped him undo it completely, and he pulled it over his head.

Several moments of nearly frantic kissing and movement followed, and their clothes ended up in a pile on the floor.

"Turn around, Miss Ritchi," there was something about Megamind's voice... It was the same tone that had made her secretly shiver back when he was a supervillain.

An electric thrill ran through Roxanne. She loved the way he could switch from charming playfulness to raw sexuality in a single moment. Her lover had grown immensely in confidence since their first night together, and he liked taking the lead, but he had never done anything quite this close to role-playing their old kidnapping dynamic before. The very thought made her pulse race. She could definitely go along with this.

"Whatever are you going to do to me?" she asked breathlessly.

"What am I going to do to you?" his voice was smooth and dark. "Something I have wanted to do to you for far, far too long."

He moved suddenly, one arm sweeping aside stacks of newsprint. The scissors clattered to the floor. Megamind flipped her around, pressing against her backside, letting her feel his hard length. He snaked one arm around to massage one breast. Roxanne whimpered as he leaned his chest against her back, warm and solid, and moved his other hand to pinch her other nipple. His lips and teeth traveled across her bare shoulder, up her neck, leaving trailing heat in their wake. He paused to nip her ear while his thumbnail flicked gently across the peak of her breast.

"Bend forward for me." His words rumbled against her back, caressed her ear.

Roxanne obediently pressed herself against the cool surface of the desk.

"Reach for the other side," he commanded.

She did. The table was positioned lengthways against the wall, so her hands could just barely grasp the far edge.

"Now, hold on tight," he purred, an edge of almost mocking playfulness in his tone. "Don't let go. We wouldn't want you to fall, now would we?"

He ran his hands slowly, almost idly, up her back, across her breasts, down her sides... then grabbed her hips with sudden force.

"Oh, Megamind, please," she begged.

"Please what, Miss Ritchi?"

"I'll do anything you ask..."

"Mmmm," he pressed his erection a little harder against her. "You are hardly in a position to negotiate."

As if to prove the point, he bit her neck and sucked until she gasped. One hand moved around to grasp his own shaft, and he nudged her legs further apart with one knee, tilted his narrow hips just enough to press the tip against her clit. Rocking gently, he used his hand to guide the movements, sliding that wonderfully textured flesh against her bundles of nerves _just so..._

That was Roxanne's breaking point. "Please," she said again, almost desperate. "Please, please, fuck me."

He chuckled with wicked self-satisfaction, adjusted his angle to press himself against her opening. "As you wish," he purred, and claimed her in one deep thrust.

"Yes! Megamind! Oh, God, yes!"

Her lover pounded into her womanhood hard enough to shake the sturdy furniture. He shifted his hips to rub the ridge on the underside of his swollen member harder against her g-spot, and she keened.

"I think I like this position!" he half-groaned, voice rising with pleasure as he thrust even harder. He tilted his hips, hitting a place deep inside his lover that made her wail his name. "Oh, damn, I _really_ like this position!" the blue hero shouted, increasing his tempo until he was pistoning into her so fast the sensations all blurred into one constant thrum of ecstasy.

He took her savagely, hammering her until she saw sparks. The solid table thumped and rattled against the wall. Roxanne was consumed by the wicked wantonness of their exposure, of letting him mount her here in the middle of the workroom where they might be discovered any moment. Unlikely though that was, the thought spiced her pleasure with an illicit thrill. Her back worked, pushing back into his every thrust, as a feeling like a delicious, electrical sea swelled within her. The woman's entire body tensed and shook when she peaked, screaming his name. His rhythm became erratic, and he bucked into her hard one final time as his orgasm tore a roar of mingled rapture and triumph from his lips.

He leaned against her back, chest heaving, mouth dropping soft kisses along her neck, before finally untangling himself and gently helping her find her balance. Then he spread his cloak across the floor, settled himself on it, and reached a hand up to her. She wasn't surprised to see his erection hardening again; whether because of years of isolation or some evolutionary development of his species, Megamind was rarely sated by just one orgasm.

"Come here, Sweetheart," he encouraged. "You've been such a good little captive. Come here and let me reward you."

Roxanne was perfectly happy to obey.


	5. Daylight and Dark Chapter 5 - The Game is Afoot

Megamind's phone rang, playing the first notes of Halloween's Heavy Metal is the Law, and the hero groaned. He and Roxanne were cuddled in a sweating, sated pile on the floor, his cloak spread beneath them. His ringtone sounded again.

"Someone had better be on fire," he groused. "Could you please hand that to me?"

Roxanne moved enough to reach up onto the work table and feel for the buzzing cell.

"Ollo?" Megamind asked as he brought it to his ear. Pressed this close to him, Roxanne could feel him suddenly tense as the voice on the other end said something. "When?" the hero asked, sitting upright. "Uh-huh? Where? Yes… Yes, thank you. I'm on my way."

"What's happening?" Roxanne asked as Megamind hung up.

"That was Police Chief Simmons. I asked him to keep me updated about any unusual accidents," he stood and began gathering his clothes. "It's a good thing I did, too, or this one would have slipped under the radar. No one was seriously hurt, but it was a close thing."

"I'm going with you."

"Roxanne, if Ares is still around—"

"You don't even know he was involved."

Megamind sighed. "No, possibly not, but still—"

"I'm going with you," she said, determination in her voice. "I'm an investigative reporter. I know how to talk to people. I can help."

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. Yes, of course. You've never been a helpless damsel, and I shouldn't treat you like one. Alright, get dressed. We leave in ten minutes. Minion," he spoke into his watch. "There's been an incident. Code: get the car."

* * *

The Metro City Sudmeister Brewing Plant was near the docks, in an area given over entirely to manufacturing, warehouses, and dingy office parks. There was a single police cruiser parked outside, and Minion pulled the invisible car up beside it.

"I'll just let you out and find a place to park, shall I, sir?"

"Oh, just leave it somewhere it won't be hit."

"But sir! If it's illegally parked—"

"Then no one will notice. That's the point of it being invisible."

"Sir!" Minion was appalled. " _You are a HERO now_!"

"Ah. Right." Megamind looked abashed. "Yes." He recovered himself. With a dramatic swish of his cape, he swung out of the vehicle and spoke clearly. "Minion, go and park the car somewhere safe and entirely legal!"

"Maybe we shouldn't announce the invisible car is here in case Ares is still around?" suggested Roxanne, climbing out after him.

"Oops." He shrugged. "On the bright side, I'm fairly certain if he's here he will have noticed us appearing out of nowhere anyway."

" _That's_ the bright side?" she asked.

Megamind grinned back at her. "It's the little things," he said.

Inside, a round, balding man was wringing his hands while two police officers spoke to him. One was an earnest-looking young man, not much over twenty, with a light brown crew cut and a bearing that screamed "rookie," while the other was a slightly pudgy, bored older woman with olive skin and shoulder-length chestnut hair. After reporting from numerous crime scenes, Roxanne knew it was a sign that the precinct was not viewing this as a particularly serious event. Probably these officers had pulled the short straw, and were stuck taking what they doubtlessly viewed as a pointless report.

"I just don't know what happened," the bald man was saying.

"The caller mentioned a flash and a rapport," responded the young cop, checking his notes. "Like an explosion."

"That's impossible," the bald man shook his head. "There was nothing up there to explode; just cables and bolts."

"Nothing is impossible," Megamind announced, striding up.

The older cop looked at him. "Defender, this isn't exactly your usual scene."

"Oh, being a hero isn't all epic battles and public praise," he said.

"Why is there a reporter with you?" The female officer's voice turned sharp.

"Don't mind me, Officer…?" Roxanne turned the last word into a question.

"Hanesley," the older woman said, crossing her arms.

"Officer Hanesley," Roxanne remained polite despite the cop's brusque tone. "I'm not here in a professional capacity."

"Why are you here, then?" Officer Hanesley demanded.

"As my partner," Megamind informed her over his shoulder, already examining the damage. Several steel walkways ran above the huge vats and machines, and a section of one of them was hanging by a twisted piece of metal.

"What about the other one?" Officer Hanesley was saying. "The mechanical fish guy?"

"He'll be along shortly."

"And you need two partners to look at a broken catwalk?"

"I'm sort of in training," Roxanne said, and hurried on before Officer Hanesley could offer another objection. "We believe this incident may be related to another case Megamind is looking into."

"You mean it wasn't an accident?" the bald man asked hopefully. Roxanne guessed he was the plant manager, and a nearly fatal mishap in his facility might have negative effects on his career. At least a deliberate attack couldn't be blamed on negligence.

"Oh, this was no accident!" Megamind announced from the wall below the hanging catwalk. "Look at this!" He brought over part of a plastic casing containing small metal knobs and what looked like a microchip. A collection of burned wires were hanging from it.

"What is that?" asked the young cop.

"That," said Megamind, "appears to be part of a store-bought actuator. This melted black thing with the metal filaments sticking out used to be a sensor," he added, holding the box out for examination. "If I had to guess,d" he said, rubbing his narrow chin, "I'd say it was activated by a cellular phone. It looks like this was modified from a jerrage door opener or something."

"A what?" asked the bald man.

"It's 'garage,' Sir," explained Minion, walking up. "Not jerrage."

"Oh, whatever," said Megamind distractedly. "People ought to spell words the way they mean them to be pronounced. Very sloppy."

"Well, Sir, the English language—" began Minion.

"What? Oh, not that," Megamind waved a dismissive hand. "This," he explained, lifting the device. "It's sloppy. Store-bought components, poor soldering… This was done in a hurry." He turned to the officers. "Call in an explosives team. Judging by the damage, this was intended to be entirely destroyed by the blast. That and the fact that the walkway didn't fall completely tells me something didn't go right. There may be an unexploded charge somewhere."

That got the older officer's attention. "What kind of explosives do we tell them they're looking for?"

"I'm not sure," Megamind admitted. "Likely something that can be made from household materials. I'll know more after I examine this." He started to pocket the device.

"Uh, Mr. Megamind, sir," the younger officer protested. "That's evidence. You can't just—"

Officer Hanesley, however, now appeared to be completely on their side. "Ferguson! How many arrests have you made so far?"

The younger officer's neck turned a little pink. "Uh, three?" he answered.

"Do you know how many criminals this man," she gestured to Megamind, "apprehended last week? Seventeen, Ferguson. Seventeen!"

"But—"

"He's the reason this city's crime rate is down eighty-seven percent! Our standing orders are to aid and assist him in whatever way necessary!"

"What will the captain say if we just—"

"I know exactly what he'd say: 'if the hero wants the device, give him the device!'"

"Not to worry; Police Chief Simmons is the one who called me," Megamind assured the rookie. He seemed almost to pity Ferguson, but then, Roxanne considered, Megamind had been an underdog himself for a long time.

"But what if—" the young officer was saying.

"Ferguson," Officer Hanesley glared at her partner. "Just stop talking." She turned to Megamind. It seemed she was in full professional cop mode now that there was evidence of a real crime. "What else do you need from us?"

Roxanne stepped forward. "We'll need a complete list of everyone who was on-site today, and we'll need to speak to the witnesses."

Officer Hanesley nodded. "You can talk to the witnesses right now, and I can have headquarters send over the list this afternoon."

* * *

"So," Megamind said later as he, Roxanne, and Minion sat in the workroom. "We have seven primary witnesses, but only three of them were actually on the walkway."

"Mr. Hernandez was here," Minion pointed to a spot on the floor plan Megamind had drawn out. Even knowing his incredible intelligence, Roxanne had been impressed by her lover's ability to recall precise details and measurements.

"So he wasn't on the portion that fell," she agreed. "That leaves only two possible targets."

"Mr. Matt Kearsey and Mr. Didier Bello," agreed Megamind.

"From what I was told, Mr. Bello was walking over the damaged section the moment it fell," Roxanne said. "Mr. Kearsey was close behind him. It was Bello who grabbed the steady section with one hand and Kearsey with the other. Hernandez ran forward and helped them both up."

"The question is," said Megamind, "was Bello intended to fall, or was he supposed to step onto the safe portion of the platform just before the device detonated?" He paused. "Minion, get me both men's addresses!"

"Right away, sir!"

"I want brainbots on twenty-four-hour patrols near both residences, as well as around the brewery. Ares will know by now he failed, and he'll be planning his next move."

"Yes, sir."

"But why did he fail?" Megamind asked suddenly, jumping up to examine the half-destroyed device on the table. "The Ares I knew would have never thrown together something so clumsy. Of course, obvious though it was, the police still didn't find it." He paused, picking up the battered little plastic box and holding it before his green eyes. "What are you up to?" he asked quietly. "Was this meant to fail? Are you trying to throw me off? Or have you gotten overconfident?"

"Could he think you've taken his warning, Sir?" Minion suggested as he busily tapped keys on the supercomputer. "Like you said, the police were ready to write it off as an accident."

"We can't afford to make any assumptions just yet. But be sure the brainbots stay out of sight as much as possible! If we do have the element of surprise, I want to keep it!"

"Maybe we could give them a quick camouflage paint job?" Roxanne asked, looking dubiously at the flying robots. Their metallic bodies, red camera eyes, and painted, jagged fins weren't exactly inconspicuous.

"I like the way you think, but we haven't the time," Megamind answered. "And camouflage is specific to particular environments... Not exactly versatile," He paused thoughtfully. "I should create and install invisibility shields for some of them so we'll be ready next time. I wonder if I could make the devices small enough..." He grabbed a clean sheet of paper and started frantically scribbling calculations.


	6. Daylight and Dark Chapter 6 - Birthday Stories

The smell of melting chocolate pulled Roxanne toward the kitchen a couple of days later.

"Hello, Minion," she smiled. "What are you making?"

He circled in his bowl to face her while his robotic suit continued to stir the double-boiler on the stove. "Chocolate Mousse Cake," he answered. "With chocolate ganache and spun sugar decorations."

"That sounds incredible! What's the occasion?"

"Oh, ah it's… Sir's birthday."

Roxanne nearly lost her footing. "It is?! He never even told me!"

"He doesn't like to make a big deal out of it. But I never let it pass without a cake! You know him; he can't say no to sweets."

She laughed. "That's the truth! It's a wonder he stays so thin!" She paused, her curiosity rising. It was easier to get Minion to reveal things than Megamind. "I've always wondered, is that because his kind has different dietary needs than humans?"

"We think so. He does seem to become— what's the word?— lethargic if he doesn't have enough sugar and grain."

"I thought as much."

"Berries and nuts seem to be important too," Minion offered. "Sometimes he eats peanut butter by the jar full. Then there's fish, oddly enough. When he gets a craving, he'll eat enough sushi for three people, or ask me to make salmon croquettes with Béchamel sauce and chives. He can make short work of a dozen in one sitting! Oh, and eggs. Some days he can't get enough hard-boiled eggs."

"I wondered about that the other morning. He must have had at least eight," she thought for a moment. "It's actually not surprising. I'm trying to remember, and I think everything you just named is included in lists of brain foods. Well, too much sugar is supposed to be bad for human brains," she added thoughtfully, "but they need some glucose to function. And, of course, he's not human. With all the energy he has, I guess maybe he digests it differently and turns it into fuel. Does it bother you to cook fish?"

"Not at all, actually. I eat smaller fish, you know. Sir says I must be a natural predator." He sounded almost proud.

"That makes sense. Can I help? With the cake, I mean?"

It said something about Minion's liking for her that he only paused a moment before saying: "S— Sure, Miss Ritchi. Ah, can you sift two cups of flour into the big mixing bowl? There's an extra apron hanging on the wall beside the refrigerator."

Minion's own apron was printed with flowers and bold letters reading: Kiss the Cook. The spare one was a little shabby, and looked as if it had been bought around Halloween: purple canvas material covered in little black bats. One corner was charred.

"Is this Megamind's?" she asked as she tied it around her waist.

"Yes, but, ah, he doesn't really use it anymore..."

"Meaning you banned him from the kitchen," she grinned. "Let me guess: he blew something up."

Minion fluttered his fins and grimaced. "He nearly blew up the whole kitchen! Left a hot skillet full of oil unattended when he got a sudden idea and dashed off to the workroom. And that was after the soufflé incident!"

"What soufflé incident?"

Minion gave her a conspiratorial grin. "As you guessed: he blew it up."

"How do you blow up a soufflé?!" she asked with an incredulous laugh.

"The trouble is that Sir tries too often to mix culinary arts with chemistry. His soufflés were always flat, so he developed a new edible compound and… Well, it definitely wasn't flat that time."

She chortled again. "That sounds like… such a Megamind thing to do!"

"It's funny now, but at the time… Ugh! The inside of the oven was a disaster!"

"I can imagine. The flour's ready. What's next?"

"Do you mind stirring the chocolate while I whisk some other ingredients?"

"Sure!" She took the spoon and gently stirred the liquefying mixture. "I still can't believe he didn't tell me it was his birthday. I sort of assumed… given what happened… You know… To your planet… that he just didn't know when it was."

"Well," Minion answered, still focused on measuring sugar and softened butter into a bowl. "We know he was eight days old when we left, and as far as I can tell, it took two or three days to reach Earth. We arrived on Christmas Day, so I decided that December the fifteenth was approximately the right date."

She nodded. "I think I'll give him one of his Christmas presents early."

"That would be nice."

"Do we have any birthday candles?"

"No, he's banned them. Probably for the best. Evil geniuses and fire don't always mix well," the fish responded, cracking eggs into the mixture with surprising dexterity.

"It sounds like there's been more than one kitchen explosion."

"You have no idea." Minion turned in his bowl and gave her another sharp-toothed grin. "He once tried to make Bananas Foster a Flambé. Somehow— I still don't know how— he melted the pan. He claims he was using ordinary alcohol, but I have my doubts. We had to replace the stove after that one; though, to be fair, Sir _did_ buy this wonderful BlueStar by way of an apology!"

"He told me once he had a talent for destruction, but geez. Just out of curiosity, how does the gas work?" she gestured at the stove. Roxanne knew her blue boyfriend had generators producing his electricity, but couldn't imagine how he'd managed this.

Minion looked confused. "Well, the same as anybody else's."

"So was this recent?" Roxanne asked, carefully careless.

"I think it was—let's see—about four years ago, Miss Ritchi."

"Huh, so he was still a supervillain, then." She'd thought as much. "Having gas put in was a pretty big risk, wasn't it?"

"Oh, no. Actually, Sir has his own construction comp— oh, really Miss Ritchi!" he stopped short with a laugh. "Do you have to do that? You could just ask Sir now, you know."

"But this is more fun," she responded. Minion huffed hard enough to blow bubbles in his tank, but his look was one of amused irritation. "Besides," Roxanne continued. "I'd already mostly figured it out. Weldon Forge Construction, right? The company that always offered suspiciously low rates to repair buildings after Megamind and Metro Man's battles? And worked with a supposed charity to fix damages in lower-income communities at no cost?"

"Well," the fish grinned conspiratorially. "I guess there's no point in denying it now."

"None. And don't worry, my lips are sealed," Roxanne laughed. "I knew it! Who else could it be with a name like that? I mean, _Weldon Forge_ , like 'weld and forge?' How stupid does he think people are?"

"To be fair, Miss Ritchi, you're the only one who ever figured it out." 

"And that is completely depressing," she rolled her eyes. "I think the chocolate's done."

"Good! Grab the oven mitts and bring it over. Now, slowly pour it into this bowl while I keep whisking. A little slower. Thank you, Miss Ritchi."

"So how old is Megamind turning anyway?" Roxanne asked.

"Thirty-nine."

"Really? For some reason, I thought he was younger. I mean, he was a senior in high school when I was a freshman, but I'd assumed he skipped a few grades. Then again, Wayne said he was somewhere between one and two years old when he arrived, and he definitely looks like he's in his forties. I guess I probably should have realized."

Minion turned in his bowl to consider the reporter. "Surely that isn't a surprise, though? As you said, Sir and I were at Metro City High with you, so the age difference— I mean— well, I know it's impolite to talk about a lady's age, but..."

"Oh, I skipped the third grade. And the ninth. So I was actually only thirteen when I started high school, but people assumed I was older because I, ah, developed early." She blushed and shifted the subject back to her blue boyfriend. "I'm surprised Megamind never skipped any grades. He's more than brilliant enough."

"I guess you could say he did, but not officially. I doubt the school system would have let him. You know, he rarely bothered to show up for class. And when he did, he was never on time. Do you know he used to make me wake up an hour early just so we could walk to school and arrive ten or fifteen minutes late? He always claimed we'd 'missed the bus.'" Minion rolled his large eyes.

"Maybe he just didn't want to ride the bus with all those jerks. People were horrible to him; I can't blame him for wanting to avoid them as much as possible."

"You're probably right, Miss Ritchi. One year was more than enough to suffer through their company."

"One year?"

"Well, yes. That's what I meant about skipping grades _unofficially_. Sir was seventeen by the time a truant officer finally caught up with us and made us enroll." The fish sighed. "I'd been telling him for _years_ that it was bound to happen sooner or later, and that he might as well just do it on his own, but, of course, he didn't listen. Anyway, they gave him a placement test and found that, according to the results, he was more than ready for the twelfth grade. Actually, he probably should have already received various Bachelors Degrees in Mathematics, Engineering, and Chemistry, and been well on his way to earning several Masters, too, but, needless to say, the schoolboard tests didn't go that high. Anyway, they couldn't just award him a diploma from a school he'd never even set foot in. So we had to attend high school for our senior year."

"Huh. I wonder why he didn't leave when he turned eighteen that December? What about you? Did you have to take a test or were you more like his..." she gestured vaguely for a word. "His assistant or something?"

"Oh, Sir cheated on my entrance exams enough to make sure I was placed with him. He did most of my homework, too, except for history."

"Why not history?"

"Because I liked that class."

"That sounds like Megamind," she could feel a gentle smile on her features. "So why does he seem so much younger? Is that also something to do with his genetics?"

"We're not completely certain, but judging from the results of some tests he ran on himself, we think his species ages a little slower than Humans. He grew up at the same rate, but as he reached maturity it started to slow down."

"Oh, I guess maybe that also explains why he's got," _the libido of a twenty-five-year-old_ , she almost said, but caught herself just in time and finished with: "so much youthful energy." She paused. "Wayne isn't Human, though."

"No, but the M'trahi seem to be closer to Humans in more ways than looks."

"The what?"

"Metro Man's kind. They were native to the planet of M'tro."

"Wait— M'tro? That sounds almost like Metro. All this time I thought he named himself after the city!"

"Actually, we think the city's name may have been his parents' reason for sending him to this specific place, but we're not sure. Either way, Metro Man's name was a play on words. He seemed to think it was clever. Of course, Sir isn't much better. His people were called the M'ghané, from the planet M'gha, and there's a word in our home language, 'myendd,' that means: 'vengeance of.' So Megamind can mean what it means in English, but it also sounds a lot like 'Vengeance of M'gha.'"

"Vengeance for what?"

Minion sighed. "Sir gave himself that name shortly before he turned twenty, when he first became a supervillain. He'd gotten it into his head that somehow Metro Man's people were the reason more of his own didn't escape the black hole. After all, logically they _must_ have known what was coming, and they were a space-faring race, so why not leave? He blamed the M'trahi. I don't know why, or even if there was any reason beyond wanting to hate Metro Man."

"And you don't think that was really what happened?"

"I'm not sure, Miss Ritchi. There was an AI with information about our home planet on the escape pod that brought us here. It was partially damaged, but I don't remember any of the retrievable parts saying anything about a war or anything like that. But then Sir _did_ spend a lot more time with it. He used to listen to it relentlessly because his father had created it, so it had his father's voice. I suspect Sir's talent for building technology must have run in his family. So does his knack for bioengineering. I know because I remember that it was Sir's mother who genetically and biomedically modified me for speech and intelligence. My earliest memories are of her lab."

 _Poor Megamind._ Roxanne's heart ached for the lonely little blue boy he had been: listening to his father's words on repeat, desperate for a reminder that he had once had a family, a home, a culture... That he had once been _normal_. She quickly changed the subject. Even for her inquiring mind, this felt too much like prying into the most vulnerable parts of her lover's secret soul.

"Did it hurt? Having all that done to you, I mean?"

"Not at all. Every care was taken to ensure I was never in pain. She was a kind, gentle lady, Sir's mother. Anyway, it seems that Sir inherited his gifts from both sides of the family."

"Wow," Roxanne scraped the last of the chocolate into the bowl with a spoon. "Can I ask something else?"

"Sure, Miss Ritchi!"

"M'gha and M'tro sound kind of similar. Is there any relation between the two languages?"

He grinned. "It's no wonder Sir is so attracted to your mind! Yes, they're similar. According to the AI they once had completely separate languages, but after space travel brought the two cultures together, they developed a common tongue that was used to communicate. As inter-planetary commerce became more important to both economies, the Common Tongue slowly mixed with and replaced the two other languages."

"So it's a creole language like English, then."

Minion gave her a curious look.

"You know," she explained. "English started out as a pidgin between Germanic, Romantic, and Norman languages, then sort of developed from there."

"Oh. I'd never heard the term 'creole' used that way before, but yes, exactly."

"Huh. Does Megamind speak any of it? His native language, I mean?"

"A little. So do I. But only what we could learn from the AI."

"So the AI taught basic language skills?"

"Not really, but the M'ghahé were an extremely smart species. At eight days old Sir could already understand words and was starting to imitate phonic sounds."

"Like goo-goo-ga-ga noises?"

Minion coughed with laughter. "Uh, yes, like that. He learned to speak English from the inmates and M'ghana from the AI. Then he taught me."

"I can't imagine how he became so well-spoken learning to talk in a prison."

"He learned from books."

Something occurred to Roxanne. "Oh, my God… That's why he mispronounces words sometimes! He learned them without ever hearing them!"

"Miss Ritchi, please, please don't tell him you figured that out. It's a sore point for him that no one cared enough to educate him," Minion said.

"No one? But wait, you just said he avoided school!"

"That was only after he'd accepted that no one was really interested in his development."

"Not a single person ever tried when he was young?"

"Not in the traditional sense. Oh, the Uncles in prison taught him to fight and steal and navigate the criminal world, and Uncle Marlow, always a big reader himself, taught him about literature. But no one ever educated him in things like math and history. We attended elementary school for a short time, but... It didn't go well."

"I know. He told me. I'd always assumed he was put in a different program afterward."

Minion swished himself back and forth in his bowl; it was his version of shaking his head. "No. Not until high school. By that point, it was basically a waste of time. He was miles beyond what the curriculum had to offer. Everything he knows he taught himself." He paused and looked at her sheepishly. "You, ah, won't tell him I told you, will you?"

"I won't say a word. But seriously! That's impressive. It's absolutely amazing!"

"What's amazing?" Megamind's smooth voice startled them as he strode through the kitchen door.

Roxanne thought fast. "Minion's cake batter! It's amazing!"

"Hey!" Megamind turned on Minion. "You never let me lick the bowl!"

"Because you would eat the whole thing!"

"I would not!"

"Uh, the Angel Food cake when you were seventeen?"

"Honestly, Minion, are you still going on about that? It's been twenty years!" Before his henchfish could stop him, he stuck two long, blue fingers into the batter, and brought them to his mouth. Noticing Roxanne's eyes on him, he quirked an eyebrow, a lascivious grin spreading across his features. He began slowly, suggestively licking his fingers clean, tongue curling between the digits, eyes locked with hers the entire time.

God, he could be so erotic when he wanted to be.

Scrambling for her self-control before she did something to make Minion uncomfortable— the kitchen was his domain, after all— Roxanne blurted the first non-sexual thing that came to mind.

"Don't you mean twenty-two years?"

"Oh ho ho! So _that's_ why you were both looking so guilty when I came in! Minion!"

If a fish could have sniffed in disdain, Minion would have done it. "Your girlfriend has a right to know what day it is!"

"I've told you countless times: I do not like celebrating my birthday."

"Oh, well, I guess you don't want this cake then."

"Minion! That— That is entirely unfair!"

"No birthday, no birthday cake, Sir."

The blue hero mouthed in soundless umbrage, and Roxanne smothered a laugh.

Moving up to Megamind she slipped her arms around his waist. "Darling, I love you, and I want to celebrate you, because for me, the very fact you exist is well worth celebrating. Please let me do that."

His cheeks and ears flushed a brighter pink. "Mmm," his voice was thoughtful, his brows lifted over half-lidded eyes. "Will this celebration extend to the bedroom?"

She gently nuzzled his throat and chin, his goatee scratching her skin, and felt him swallow hard.

"Definitely," she promised.

"In that case, happy birthday to me."


	7. Daylight and Dark Chapter 7 - Going Postal

The following day, Minion returned from the post office with another stack of fan mail for his master. There were the expected holiday cards, which Megamind had the brainbots hang up alongside a growing collection, but there were also quite a few fan letters. That wasn't all.

"Why do women insist on sending me these things?" Megamind asked, tossing aside a photo.

Roxanne picked it up and blushed. "Oh, that's… Wow…"

"Not exactly subtle, is she?"

"Do you get things like this often?"

"Jealous?"

"I think any woman would want to know if other people were sending things like _that_ to her boyfriend."

"You ARE jealous!" he looked delighted.

"Maybe just a little," Roxanne admitted.

Megamind beamed. "No one's ever been jealous over me before!"

Roxanne glanced quickly at him, then gave him one of his favorite lopsided smiles. "Yes, well, I'm jealous. I'm very, very jealous."

"Extremely?"

"Insanely."

His grin broadened, and he wrapped his arms around her. "As inevitable as it is that my daring heroism, brilliant intellect, and incredible good looks would attract a bevy of admirers," he pulled her closer. "You are the only one who gets to see what I have to offer in return."

He leaned down and kissed her— an unusual experience. Typically, their closeness in height meant he could simply lean in, but today Roxanne had foregone high heels in favor of comfortable flats, and Megamind was wearing one of his favorite pairs of studded platform combat boots.

"Now, what about this one," he continued, turning and opening another envelope. "Oh, look! Jonathan, age nine, has drawn a picture of me." He showed her a crayon drawing of a vaguely manga-influenced blue figure on what was clearly Megamind's hoverbike. "I'm keeping this one," he announced. "Why are the buildings on fire, though?" he asked, turning the paper around once more to examine it again.

"I think you're supposed to be saving the people inside," Roxanne said.

"I don't seem to be doing a very good job of it."

Roxanne laughed. "He's only nine. I doubt he's figured out how to depict motion in drawings yet. Give him time. What are you doing?"

"Writing back, of course!" He looked at her. "What?"

"You're sweet, do you know that?"

He blushed under his blue tone, cheeks going slightly purple. "Well, he did immortalize me in art..."

"Uh-huh, yeah," She put one hand on her hip and gave him a teasing smile. "Art that will be completely forgotten in a few months."

Now Megamind looked truly shocked. "I'll have you know I have a file where I keep every one of these!" he protested.

"Really?"

"Yes!"

Her smile softened into something more sincere. "You're sweet. You're a sweet, adorable, kind-hearted dork. Admit it."

"Really, someone might hear you!" Megamind said, still writing. "What kind of criminals are going to run from a hero who's 'sweet?'"

"The ones who know he's not sweet all the time, and can kick serious butt when he needs to." She kissed his cheek, and his blush deepened.

"It's just part of my charm," he teased. "Roxanne?" he asked, seeing her face. "What's wrong?"

"That looks like..." she pointed at the pile of letters. "Megamind, he's written again."

Megamind whirled around and stopped cold. One of the envelopes bore too-familiar calligraphy and was addressed to Hesperos Oldwin.


	8. Daylight and Dark Chapter 8 - The Harlequin

"' _I am very disappointed to learn you have rejected my offer of peace_ ,'" Megamind read aloud again as he paced. "' _You have now forced me to take more drastic measures. Remember that you are to blame_.' Oh, this is bad. This is really, really bad." He slapped a hand against his brow. "Of course, the brewery was a test! He was watching! He wanted to see if I'd show up! I should have known!"

"Sir, please," Minion pleaded. "Calm down."

"Calm down? _Calm down_?! Minion! Do you realize what this means?! Right now, he's planning to hurt someone in my city because I took his bait!"

" _Our_ city," Minion reminded him. "And beating yourself up won't help."

"He's right, Megamind," Roxanne said. "We need to figure this out. What's he likely to do now that he knows you're involved?"

Her lover paused and ran a hand over his bald head. "Something public. In a crowded place. He'll want to make a statement."

"I thought you said that wasn't his style?"

Megamind shook his head. "This is personal; it's different. He knows I'm the Defender of Metrocity, and he wants to punish me, undermine me. He'll hurt as many people with one blow as he can, and if he can make it somehow significant to me as well, he will."

"Right," Roxanne looked at Minion. "What public events are happening this weekend?"

The henchfish turned back to the computer and started typing. "Well, there's an art exhibit opening tomorrow at eight pm—"

"No," Megamind shook his head. "Ares won't destroy art. It's against his code."

"There's the Metro City Junior Dance Competition… And the Winter Nights of Lights, of course—"

"He doesn't kill children."

"The First Methodist Church Chili Cook-Off?"

"Too small! He wants to rain down terror, Minion! Terror! Not frighten a few dozen bean-eating retirees!"

"What about the Dog Breeders' Club? Let's see, the Metro Ballet is currently performing the Nutcracker, and there's a party at the Speakeasy Kitchen and Cocktails— Oh, that's invitation-only, though."

Megamind pushed past Minion. "No, no, no, this will be something big, something very public, and something involving hundreds of adults." He began clicking through entries. "Quilting circle… Charity dinner… Pinup Angels' Jinglebell Rock Burlesque Show? No, that's in a historic theater. Against the code," he continued searching. "Astrology lecture— the new observatory is far too remote... Book signing… Basket weaving class? Do people seriously go to those? No… Definitely not… HERE!" he shouted in triumph. "Metalocity is playing an Iron Maiden cover concert in the Harlequin Club, twenty-one and over! Curse him! Ares knows I love Maiden! And it's tonight!" He tapped a few more keys, then swung around, cloak swirling, and thrust a finger into the air. "Minion! Ready the hoverbike! You!" he shouted at one of the brainbots. "New Command: Urgent Priority Status! I want Emergency Response Team Two armed with as many fire extinguishers as you can find! Class D! I want Emergency Response Team Four onsite with powdered graphite and copper! All other available units: bring buckets and pitchers full of water! If it will hold liquid, use it, and meet us at the Harlequin Club! I've just sent the coordinates!" The little robots began buzzing around obediently. "You and you!" he called to the two nearest brainbots. "Bring out the battle attire!"

"It's going to be fire, then, Sir?" asked Minion.

"The Harlequin is loosely themed on Dante's Divine Comedy," Megamind answered, pulling off his regular boots. "It's divided into three sections: Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell. This show is in the last. That section is based specifically on the Inferno's sixth level of hell; the decor is mostly fake fire and mausoleum-like artifices. And black lights. And glow-in-the-dark paint. That's not important," he waved a hand. "The point is that there will be a lot of pyrotechnics, and it won't take much to make them go awry." He dashed over to a circular device on the floor— a sensor of sorts that helped the brainbots dress him— and began stripping off his Metallica shirt. "Ares would be a fool not to take advantage of the situation, and he's no fool. Take those to Mommy!" He added as one of the brainbots darted near. The cyborg dropped several items at Roxanne's feet. "Put them on!" Megamind said and his small robotic pets began helping him dress.

"Megamind," despite the dire situation, Roxanne was touched. "You made me a suit?"

He stepped out from the round privacy curtain one of the bots was holding up. "Minion made it, I just designed it."

She threw her arms around her lover, startling several brainbots, and kissed him quickly but soundly. "Thank you."

"You're my partner, too, after all. Now hurry and dress. You can use the curtain," he motioned the brainbot over. "There's no time for added modesty; we have far more pressing concerns."

"I always thought your clothes were leather," Roxanne commented from within her concealment, pulling on the suit, "but this stretches."

"Apart from the pauldrons, belt, and gauntlets, most of it only looks like leather," Megamind said absently as he tugged his collar up straighter.

"Pauldrons?"

"Brachium armor," he said, and gestured to his spiked shoulder guards.

"Huh. So what's the rest of it made from?"

"It's a synthetic material of my own design: lightweight and anti-conductive with the water-resistance of neoprene and impact absorption surpassing Kevlar. It is also fire retardant, but that's not the same as fireproof, so you'll need to be careful."

"Anti-conductive?"

"So excess electricity is channeled away and grounded. Mine has circuits and controls for some of my devices built-in."

"That's amazing!"

"I know. Here," he fastened a stylishly feminine black watch around her wrist. "This one I did make."

"Is this…?"

"Your own holowatch."

She kissed him again.

Minions' voice crackled over the speaker in his master's watch. "Code: the hoverbike is ready, sir!"

"Excellent, Minion! Code: ready the Nimbus Generator!"

"But, sir, we haven't fully tested the Nimbus Generator yet!"

"What was that?" Megamind asked. "I can't hear you."

Minion sighed on the other end of the connection. "Code: we haven't fully tested the Nimbus Generator."

"Code: I know, but we'll have to risk it."

"Code: are you sure, sir?"

"Code: just do it!"

* * *

"Okay, so what do we do when we get there?" Roxanne called loudly as she and Megamind raced over the city. Despite the fact she was riding behind him, her face only inches from his ear, she practically had to yell to be heard over the hiss of wind and the roar of the engine.

"We stop Ares, and capture him if possible," he shouted back.

"What, that's it? That's your plan?"

He threw a grin back at her. "Well, we wouldn't want to make it too easy, now would we? Where would be the fun in that?"

"I'm serious!"

"We don't know where he is in the building or exactly what he's got up his sleeve, so we're going to have to improvise a little on this one," he admitted. "I want you to focus on getting people out. Let me handle the rest."

"Megamind, please be careful."

"Careful is my middle name."

"It's not really, though, right?" With Megamind, one never knew.

"No, I don't have a middle name. There was never even one attached to Lee Vice. I'm sure my parents must have called me something, but I have no idea what. Megamind is the only name I've really got."

"What about the one Ares—"

"I don't use it. That's not me. Now get ready, we're almost there."

Reaching around him, she turned the dial on her wrist and activated a disguise. With a blue flash that dissipated like static, she was transformed into the living image of Officer Hanesley. If the woman ever found out Megamind had scanned and copied her likeness while she wasn't looking, she was going to be pissed.

"Okay," Megamind shouted, speeding down toward a large, square building glowing with neon lights. "I'm letting you off on the roof. There's a trap door that leads down to the backstage. Try to convince the band to announce there's a problem, and if that fails get up there and do it yourself. Then get out. Do you understand? Be careful, and Roxanne," he added, eyeing her seriously as he swerved to a halt. "If you see Ares, do NOT engage."

She nodded as she slid down from the hoverbike. Megamind tugged her arm and leaned down from astride the contraption for a quick, unyielding kiss.

"You just kissed a cop," she managed to joke.

His face remained serious as he brushed her cheek. "I love you, Roxanne," he said. "I don't ever want to let you walk away from me without saying that."

"I love you too."

"Don't forget: make the announcement, get people moving, and get to safety." He finally grinned at her, a dark glint under his lowered eyebrows. "Now, let's show Ares how we do things in Metrocity." He revved into a higher gear and sped away.

Roxanne climbed down the ladder leading from the roof with some difficulty. She might look like Officer Hanesley, and anyone touching her might even _feel_ Officer Hanesley, but she still sensed her own body, and the oddly unnerving discrepancy made it difficult to know where to place her feet. Reaching the floor, she crept through the backstage until she neared an area where, she felt, a cop on event security detail might reasonably be expected to appear. She straightened and headed around the corner, only to dart back quickly. Taking a deep breath, she peeked back around to ensure she'd actually seen what she saw.

Yes, there, talking to a roadie or stagehand of some sort, was a familiar female figure.

Roxanne groaned under her breath. _Of course Hanesley would have to be one of the cops willing to work an event for a little extra pay. Why not?_

She moved further out of sight. "Um, Megamind?" she whispered into the watch. "We have a problem."

"Code: what is it?"

"Shhh! Not so loud."

"What is it? What's wrong?" he whispered back, concern creeping into his voice.

"Hanesley— the real Hanesley— is here."

Megamind sounded relieved. "Just avoid her, then."

"That's going to be sort of hard if I'm pretending to _be_ her while we're both working security."

Minion's whisper joined the conversation. "Code: why don't you make her say 'code' for everything?"

"Code: because you're my best friend, and that's our thing."

"Code: but you said 'code' to her."

"Code: Not now, Minion! I'm trying to think!"

Roxanne rolled her eyes. "Could we focus here, please?" she paused, examining her watch. "Megamind, how do I work the scanner on this thing?"

"Press down on the outer dial and turn it forward a quarter turn to scan. Release the pressure, and turn it backward one click to activate the disguise. Don't turn it too far or you'll activate a previous one."

"I remember," Roxanne took a deep breath and started walking in the opposite direction. "Right. I can do this."

The stage door was open to the sharp, cold night air. Outside two young women, dressed in enough black leather and band paraphernalia to make even Megamind proud, were shivering slightly as they smoked. Both had backstage passes hung around their necks. An acrid smell made Roxanne wonder if there was something added to the tobacco in the cigarettes.

"I'm sorry, but Metallica is overrated," one of them was saying. "Their first album was good, but the next few were basically sell-outs riding on their own coattails."

"You're full of shit," the other objected. "Can we help you?" she added to Roxanne in a tone that clearly said a cop wasn't a welcome addition to the party.

_Yep. Definitely more than tobacco._

"Just, ah, checking all the exits," Roxanne glanced around quickly before activating her watch.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" the closest woman demanded.

"Listen, they're having some problems with the pyrotechnics, so you girls may want to clear out," Roxanne said as she kicked away a broken piece of cement serving as a door prop.

"What?!" One of the women started. The heavy metal door slammed shut with a bang and a satisfying click.

"Hey!" thumping and voices echoed from the other side. "Hey! Let us in!"

Roxanne turned the dial one click and was momentarily blinded by blue light. She hurried away, then, pausing to glance down and ensure she had the right image projected, she took on a casual pace and made her way through the ordered chaos of concert preparations. Slipping down a short corridor, she found her way to the control room.

"Miss," a voice called. "You can't be here!"

Turning, Roxanne saw a harassed-looking man approaching.

"Oh, I have a pass—"

"Backstage passes are for the meet and greet area only."

"I got lost. Can you tell me where the bathrooms are?"

"Back in the club," the man answered pointedly.

"Uh, right," Roxanne gestured vaguely behind herself. "I'll just..."

He wasn't listening. "What do you think you're doing?!" he demanded, but he wasn't looking at Roxanne.

"My job," another man's voice said dryly. "I'm the new pyrotechnics technician."

"New tech? Where the hell is Greg?"

"He had to leave unexpectedly. I was called in."

Roxanne took the opportunity to slip away and duck behind a concrete support pillar as the first man— she was guessing he was a stage manager— marched up to his new target.

"Well, then, you need to get your job right," the manager was saying. "Greg already checked those thirty minutes ago."

Ares. It had to be. Squatting low and peeking around the pillar, Roxanne wasn't sure what she expected to see, but it wasn't an extremely ordinary man in his mid-forties. He was almost surreally average. The face he turned briefly toward the stage manager was neither handsome nor ugly, his dark eyes, close-trimmed beard, and plastic-framed glasses completely unremarkable. With his medium build, short brown hair, and forgettable features, Ares was the sort of person she might pass in the street a dozen times and never really notice. He was standing at a control board, fiddling expertly with some of the dials, his jacket thrown over the back of a folding chair behind him. Even as the other man approached, his stance remained completely casual, and he looked for all the world like he belonged there.

"I am only doing what I have been told," Ares was saying.

"Which is doing the same thing twice?" the manager asked.

Crawling as quietly as she could along the floor, Roxanne made her way behind a stack of heavy plastic containers that looked as if they usually held sound equipment. The metal folding chair was only two feet away from her.

"I am simply making some last-minute changes," Ares said, attention still focused on his work.

"Who told you to do that?"

"Who else but Greg would have? He didn't finish."

The other man eyed Ares. "I'm not sure I like your tone."

"With due respect, I wasn't hired for my manners."

The stage manager wasn't listening. "Where the hell are the auxiliary controls?! Damn it, Greg!" He swore under his breath. "Okay, we've got a wireless and a three-pin. Over here. I'll show you. I assume you know how to sync them in," he added in a voice that suggested he believed the opposite. The two men moved away.

There was a vaguely rectangular bulge in one of the jacket pockets. Shaking with adrenaline, Roxanne carefully reached in and snatched out a cell phone. Ducking back behind the crates, she quickly scrolled through the apps. Nothing. Well, what did she expect, that there would be something called Explosions4U?

"This one is Cobra Systems," the manager was saying from the other side of the room, "and the other is a three-pin XLR, so you'll have to use the jumper leads to connect the wire terminal controller—"

Tuning them out, Roxanne began desperately scrolling through the photos and hit the jackpot. She found several images of sketched plans, downloaded diagrams, and, for some reason, images of a house from several different angles. Pressing the mute button on the side of the phone to avoid sounds that might alert Ares, she began texting several images to her own phone.

"And Greg didn't explain this to you why, exactly?"

"That is a question you would have to ask him."

The phone only had three bars of service here, and the large text messages were taking a little time to send.

"Come on, come on," Roxanne breathed, heart pounding.

"Well, just hurry up," the manager was saying. "We've got barely twenty minutes, and security needs to check this area before the show gets started."

"Really, why is that?" for the first time, there was a slight undertone of tension in Ares' voice.

"Oh, last time a couple of dumb college kids got down here and started messing with shit. The club's increased security since then. That's why they've paid out the nose to have two cops on-site along with our team."

Task done, Roxanne deleted the recent conversation from Ares' texts, and slipped the phone back into his jacket pocket.

It wasn't a moment too soon. She had barely ducked back behind the crates when she heard the two men's voices heading back.

"Indeed," Ares was saying, strange amusement in his voice. "Those hoodlums ought to be more careful. They might cause a fire."

Roxanne crawled quietly back toward the door, slipped out, and, letting out a deep breath, hurried down the corridor. Now to find the green room, or whatever they called it in the music profession.

The sound of laughter and talking led the way. It all went silent the moment Roxanne burst through the door. Several long-haired men dressed in an assortment of black leather, denim, swordsman shirts, and band tees stared at her. The several other people in the room gaped, one dropping a bottle of beer on the industrial brown carpet and cursed.

"You've got to stop the show!" Roxanne gasped without preamble.

"Oh, my God, Crystal!" A young woman Roxanne didn't recognize hurried forward. "What happened to you? You're covered in dirt! Where's Abby?"

"What— No!" Roxanne pushed the door closed with one shoulder and deactivated her disguise.

"What the Hell?!" someone yelped.

"Look, my name is Roxanne Ritchi, and I'm with—"

"You're that reporter! The one dating the city's hero!" the woman said.

"The guy with all the cool gear?" somebody asked.

"Yes, and he's on his way," Roxanne said. "Listen, there's going to be a fire!"

"What?" one of the men, sporting a black ponytail, earrings, and eyeliner, jumped to his feet.

A voice crackled over the old intercom mounted on one wall. "Fifteen minutes!"

Another man reached for the device. This one had darker skin and a multitude of piercings. Several tattoos decorated arms left bare by a sleeveless t-shirt depicting a zombie hoisting an electric guitar. Eyes still on Roxanne, he pushed the button with an automatic movement that she guessed was born of habit. "Uh, thank you, fifteen..." he said

"What do you mean there's going to be a fire?!" the first man demanded.

"Look, this club's only got one pyrotechnics guy, right? Greg?"

Nearly every gaze turned to a middle-aged woman in the corner who looked as if she worked there. "Yeah, that's right," she said.

"Well, someone else was just down there messing with the system, and Megamind believes this place has been targeted for an attack tonight! You've got to get everyone out!"

"That system has safety—"

"Safety measures can be overridden, and this guy probably knows how to do it! The City Defender says we need to evacuate, and that should be enough! We're wasting time!"

"Is this for real?" one of the band members asked.

Roxanne fought— really fought— not to roll her eyes. "How many people do you know with alien tech disguise watches?!"

"Oh my God," one of the young women breathed at the same time one of the men let off a string of profanities.

"Shit," the black-haired man agreed. "Daniel, get everyone out from backstage!" A man dressed in relaxed-fit jeans, a Metalocity t-shirt, and a headset nodded and hurried out, already talking into his microphone. The black-haired man then pushed the intercom button. "Samantha, we've got a situation. Get everyone out of the club right now."

There was only crackling silence in response, and Roxanne's heart leaped into her throat for a moment before a voice answered: "What are you talking about?"

"The Defender sent us a message."

"The blue guy?"

"He says there's a terrorist planning an attack on the club," the man said. Roxanne could have slapped him. The last thing they needed was panic.

Darting around him, she pressed the button herself. "We need to get everyone out without alerting him that we know he's here, if possible."

"Who are— Hold on, someone else is buzzing in."

"Wait!" Roxanne started, but the intercom was dead.

The woman returned in a moment. "Did you call the fire marshal?"

"No," answered the man.

"Yeah, well, he's in the main part of the club saying it's overcapacity and making everyone leave."

"Megamind," Roxanne whispered. "Oh, you wonderful, clever man." She turned to the black-haired musician. "Now we just have to get everyone out of the performance space."

The crowd roared with cheers when Ponytail, who turned out to be the guitarist and lead singer, went on stage, his bandmates hanging back. Roxanne, once again in disguise, had worked her way to the edge of the crowd to help direct people out.

"It's great to see everyone tonight," he began. "But I've got some bad news. The fire marshal is outside saying we've got to clear the building. We're having to cancel the show."

There were boos and sounds of disbelief mixed with confused cries. The singer held up one hand. "It's out of our control. Hang onto your tickets," he shouted above the noise. "We'll do another Iron Maiden show for you soon, and your passes for tonight will still be good."

Most of the crowd remained where they were, voicing their displeasure, but a few people started moving toward the doors. There was a sound of rattling before someone exclaimed: "they're locked!"

"What—" the singer started. A boom shook the floor and knocked him back with a yell. Flames exploded up from the front of the stage floor, leaping to the curtains and decorative panels surrounding the stage. Screams filled the air. The crowd became a mass of jumbled, pushing bodies. Beyond the chaos and the raging fire, Roxanne could just make out two band members rushing forward to pull their fellow out of danger.

Iron Maiden's Aces High suddenly blared through the room. A second explosion thundered as, with a burst of blue electricity, the double doors blew to pieces. With a roar, Megamind raced in on the hoverbike. People started pouring toward the open door.

"This way," Roxanne yelled so loudly her throat hurt. "Don't push! Everyone get out!" She saw Officer Hanesley and another cop, along with two men in security shirts, doing the same. A skinny boy Roxanne seriously doubted met the twenty-one-and-over rule got jostled to the floor. His shout turned to a bellow of agony as a fleeing patron stomped his hand. Without thought, Roxanne dove into the crowd to pull him up before he could be trampled. Someone knocked into her back and she nearly joined the young man on the floor. Throbbing stars exploded in her vision as she took an elbow in the side of her face. For a moment, everything was a maelstrom of suffocating crowds and frantic movement, then she growled and practically hauled the prone youth to his feet.

There was another bright blast of energy as Megamind blew a huge hole in the roof. Roxanne ducked as concrete pebbles and bits of plaster rained down. Brainbots started pouring in. Several aimed fire extinguishers at the inferno; the rest began dumping water on the flames.

"Roxanne!" she could hear Megamind shouting above the turmoil, his voice amplified. "Roxanne! Where are you?!"

"Megamind!" she started moving toward him just as another explosion flung her off her feet. The world swam for a moment. Somebody tripped over her, kicking her stomach as they stumbled, and she jerked in pain.

"Roxanne!" Megamind's voice was still shouting.

Struggling to her feet, she clambered up onto the neon-lit bar. "Here!" she screamed, fumbling with the holowatch to dismiss her disguise. "I'm here!"

Megamind spun in midair and dove toward her, but he wasn't the only person whose attention she'd gained. Just beyond the destroyed doors beside the bar, she could see a familiar, terribly ordinary man struggling against the crowd, his face twisted in rage. As if in slow motion, she saw his arm lift straight.

"Gun!" someone shrieked. "He's got a gun!"

Ares aimed. A blue flash shocked the air, and suddenly he was clutching his empty hand, doubled over in pain. Bright blood stained his sleeve and splattered the floor.

That hadn't been a dehydration shot. Megamind had used the Destroy setting, and Roxanne was surprised Ares' hand was still attached. The pistol must have been blown to bits. Ares seemed to be having similar thoughts. Still squeezing his bloody hand, he ducked into the mass of pushing, jostling bodies, and was lost in the flood.

A roar blotted out all other sound as someone grabbed Roxanne's waist and practically flung her up. She scrambled onto the hoverbike, clinging to her lover. For a disconcerting moment, she was completely weightless as he whirled the machine in mid-air. Gunning the engine, he sped over the flames, dodging brainbots. Heat licked at their legs, the ceiling sped toward them.

"Megamind!" Roxanne hid her face in his shoulder. There was another blast, a painful scattering of hard lumps and sharp edges, and then cold night wind was stinging her skin.

She dared to look, coughing dust, eyes gritty and streaming, just as Megamind shouted into the watch. "Now, Minion!"

Something that vaguely resembled a small blimp began emitting gray-black fog. It looked similar to a device Megamind had used before, but something was different. The fog was darker, more roiling…

 _No, not fog,_ Roxanne realized. _Clouds_.

There was a rumble of thunder as they grew wider and denser, blotting out part of the stars. Lightning flashed. Icy rain began pouring down, flooding into the two holes in the roof. Megamind's army of cyborgs continued racing to-and-fro, buckets, pitchers, and even vases in their metal claws. From this height, Roxanne could see a firetruck, its lights and sirens blaring, roaring to a stop outside the club. Megamind must have called them before the fire even began.

The blue hero flew the hoverbike out of the concentrated rainfall and darted down toward the crowd pouring out of the club's outer doors. He touched a finger to the side of his helmet's face shield and began scanning the mass of bodies. Then he growled.

"He isn't there," Roxanne could feel the tension in his shoulders. "He escaped."


	9. Daylight and Dark Chapter 9 - Love and Friendship

It occurred to Roxanne that she had never before seen Megamind truly angry. Irritated? Yes. Annoyed? Certainly. But never actually angry.

"What part of 'get out' did you not understand?!" the blue man banged his fist on his work table, making its contents rattle. "I told you— I _told_ you— to announce the evacuation and then leave! What on earth took you so long?!"

"I said I was sorry, okay?!" Roxanne protested. Singed, bruised, and holding an ice pack to her swollen cheek, she didn't particularly feel like enduring a lecture.

"Sorry? _Sorry?!_ Roxanne! You were hurt! You could have been _killed!_ "

"I was trying to help!"

He snarled in frustration. "I should never have let you go in there!"

" _Let_ me?!"

"It was far too dangerous!"

"First of all," she poked him hard in the chest. "You don't _let me_ do anything! I'm not a child!" 

"I never said—"

"And secondly, you are being a huge fucking hypocrite right now!"

" _Excuse me?!"_

"You go into dangerous situations all the time!"

"Roxanne, I have been fighting my entire life! I was raised by some of the most dangerous men in this city! You have to see that that's not the same thing!"

"Look, either we're in this together or we're not!"

He turned on her, eyes wide. "Are you threatening to dump me?! _Again?!_ "

Roxanne felt like someone had just knocked the wind out of her. "That was a low blow, Megamind."

"You want a low blow?! How about threatening to break my heart just because I'm trying to keep you safe?!"

"No! That's not what I meant! I just— Megamind, I love you, damn it! I want to be a part of your life! _All_ of your life!"

"And I'm trying to provide that! But you make it very difficult when you won't do as I ask! Do you have any idea how hard this is for me?! Do you have any conception— any at all— just how terrified I am every time you go into these situations?!"

"That's my choice, not yours!"

"It's like an icy fist grabs my insides and twists!" He gripped her shoulders. "I have nightmares about what might happen to you! _Nightmares_ , Roxanne!"

She was startled to see moisture shining in his green eyes. Until this moment, she hadn't even known he could cry. All of her anger dropped to her feet like lead.

"Megamind..." she touched his cheek.

He lifted one hand to press her palm harder against his face. "You're a strong, independent woman. I get that. I respect it! But I can't lose you! I can't! I gave up being a villain because of you!" he was shaking. "I found my place in society because of you! I am the Defender of this city and a better man because of you! Without you, none of it means anything! Don't you understand that?!"

"I'm sorry," her voice sounded thick. "I'm sorry."

"No! Don't apologize! Don't ever apologize for being yourself! I don't need you to be sorry! I need you to be safe! I need you to understand that there is a difference between courage and recklessness!"

She could feel hot tears gathering in her own eyes now. Clenching her fists, breathing deep, she tried to hold them back. "I didn't mean... I never meant—"

Megamind looked struck. "Oh, Roxanne, Sweetheart, no, don't cry. Please don't cry." He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his face into her hair. "I… God. I'm a monster."

"Shut up," she said into his shoulder. "Just shut up. You're not a monster. You've never been a monster."

"Yes, I am. I should never have yelled at you. You don't deserve that. I'm sorry. Please, Darling… I just… My heart almost stopped when I realized you were still in there."

"I worry about you too, you know."

"I know you do."

She turned her face to press her uninjured cheek against him, breathed in his dark, warm scent. "I worry, but I know you still have to do what's right, and so do I."

"Everybody does, Sweetheart, or at least they should. You're brave. Very brave. But sometimes you cross a line and do something too… rash."

"And you don't?"

"Darling, I take calculated risks. There's a difference. And it's necessary. But you don't have to. This city… It doesn't have to be your responsibility to protect it, and it's not fair for me to expect that of you. It's not your burden to bear."

"Maybe not, but I want to help you bear it."

He sighed. "And if you didn't, you wouldn't be the faithful, fearless woman I love. Even so, there's a part of me that almost wishes I could treat you more like a damsel. It's an oxymoron, isn't it?" he leaned back to smile at her, but there was no joy in it. "You're precious to me because you're so bold— so full of life and courage and righteous vigor— and yet I want to protect you because you _are_ precious to me."

"I love you, too."

He ran one hand through her hair. "I'm sorry, Roxanne. I'm so sorry. Too sorry for words. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I was labeled a villain for twenty years, but tonight I actually behaved like one. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course I do, Megamind. You were worried. That's understandable. Can _you_ forgive _me_?"

"There's nothing to forgive."

"Yes, there is. You're right. I was only thinking about myself when I took risks. I didn't stop to consider what it might do to you. I can be crazy sometimes, and I guess I assume that it doesn't matter because it's only affecting me. But that's not true, is it? I was selfish, and I'm sorry. So please tell me everything's alright?"

"You're not crazy. You're gorgeous and daring and unpredictable and sometimes you drive me mad, but you're not crazy." He kissed her forehead gently. "And, yes, Beloved, everything is absolutely alright. I forgive you. I love you. Now, let me try this again. No yelling this time. What took you so long in there?"

"Um..."

He lifted a black eyebrow. "Roxanne?"

"The good news is I think I got some evidence that will help us figure out Ares' next move."

She could feel his arms tense around her. With an effort, he relaxed.

"And how, exactly, did you do that?" he asked evenly.

"I, um, kind of got a hold of Ares' cell phone."

"You did _WHAT_?!" He sucked in air and blew it out slowly. "Sorry," he spoke in a calmer voice. "You did what?"

Drawing in a fortifying breath of her own, she told him. Megamind was staring at her by the time she finished.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I told you not to engage him."

"Technically I didn't. And we need information. I'm an investigative reporter. Getting information is my specialty."

"Right," he sighed deeply again. "Right. Well, I suppose there's no point in worrying over what's already done. What did you find?"

"I sent it all to my own cell phone. Once I turn it back on, I can—"

"No! Don't turn it on!" he said quickly. "I asked you to keep it off because cell phones are too easy to trace."

"You have one."

"I've heavily modified it."

"Oh."

"I can do the same for you, but in the meantime, just bring it here." He spoke into his holowatch. "Minion, we may have some intel. Code: I need you in the workroom."

"Right away, sir!"

* * *

"Eleven injured, four of them seriously," Minion reported as Megamind removed the SIM card from Roxanne's smartphone and opened a panel on his supercomputer. "Extensive damage to part of the building. No one confirmed dead. Gregory Holt, the Pyro Tech, was shot twice but survived. His condition's still critical."

"I call that a win," Roxanne said.

"Indeed," Megamind said, motioning Minion out of the way.

"I wonder why Ares didn't kill him?" Roxanne mused. "With all you've told me…"

"Brainbots found him gagged and tied in a supply closet," Megamind explained. "And surrounded in what my analysis proved to be petroleum distillate. I think Ares wanted to ensure he was alive to burn to death."

Roxanne shuddered.

"Sweetheart," Megamind stopped what he was doing and turned to her, taking one of her hands in both of his. "It's over. Holt is alive. It's alright." he grinned with dark triumph. "We gave Ares a great big Metrocity Middle Finger!"

Despite herself, she smiled. "Okay."

"This is a night he will count among his greatest failures!" He turned back and started tapping the keys. "His grand revenge turned into some burned curtains!"

"And some injuries," Roxanne reminded him. "And a destroyed stage. And a damaged roof."

"Excuse me, the roof was my work!" Megamind teased as he activated one of the other monitors. "But that's not the point. Ares has a reputation for never missing his kill. He wanted death, and we brought his body count down to zero. He wanted to make a statement about the horror that awaits those who cross him, and we turned it into a statement about our ability to protect this city. He uses fear like a weapon, but tonight we disarmed him," Megamind looked at her, a smug smile on his lips. "Tonight we reminded the world he is just a man." He brought up a new window. It looked like Roxanne's phone screen.

She'd forgotten about the wallpaper image.

Megamind grinned at his lover, all serious concerns melting from his face. In that moment, Roxanne loved him all the more for finding such bright, overwhelming joy in so small a thing, even in the midst of chaos and danger.

"I didn't know I was your background!" he said.

"Who else?"

"Oh, I don't know… Kittens? Rainbows? Kittens on rainbows?"

"Tempting, but I'd still rather see you."

"Would you?" his grin broadened.

"Hmm," she agreed. "And the more of that gorgeous blue skin you're showing, the better."

"Oh, really?" He lifted one eyebrow. His expression shifted to promise sinful delights while a dark gleam lit his eyes. "After the night you've had, I believe you could use, shall we say, some _downtime_?" his grin sent delicious warm tingles through her belly. Minion choked loudly enough to raise bubbles in his tank. Megamind ignored him. "When we are done here, Miss Ritchi," he continued. "I would like your assistance with a little… experiment."

"Experiment?" she gave him one of his favorite crooked smiles, the one that said she was envisioning what was beneath all the black leather and liked what she saw.

"Oh, yes. Several. Extremely _vital_ experiments. While I learned quite a lot from my original _source material_ online, I've been doing some truly fascinating additional research— the Karma Sutra, the Perfumed Garden— and there are so very many things we need to try. For science, you know."

"Of course."

Moving closer to his lover, the blue hero purred: "We really have no choice, I'm afraid."

"We practically owe it to the scientific community," Roxanne agreed, tilting her face up for his kiss.

"Ooookay, this is awkward," the henchfish said.

Megamind cleared his throat. "Right. Let's, ah, just get on with this, shall we?"

Roxanne was looking at her alerts. "Oh, God, I have twelve missed calls from Andro."

"Who is Andro?"

"Oh, now who's jealous?" Roxanne gave him a saucy grin.

"Tease," Megamind pecked her on her uninjured cheek. "Seriously, who is he?"

"Andro is Isandro, my new cameraman."

"I certainly hope he's less..." he gestured vaguely for a word, "stalky than the last one."

"Don't worry. We're just friends. We have been for years, but he used to work for a different station before I got him the job at KMCP. Andro's a sweet guy, but he'd be more likely to fall for you than me."

"Ah." Megamind tapped a few more keys. "We can check your messages once we're done with this, before I—"

Minion clapped his mechanical hands over the sides of his fishbowl, though it couldn't have done anything to block sound.

"La-la-la-la-la! Not listening!" he said.

It was amazing how many emotions Megamind could convey with an arched eyebrow. This one was clearly sardonic amusement.

"I was going to say: 'before I remove the SIM card.'"

"Oh," Minion had the good grace to look sheepish.

"This looks like the plans for the device we found," Megamind said. "And these are instructions for wiring a residential breaker box. What's this?" He'd reached the photos of the house. "Dingo!"

"Dingo?" Roxanne asked.

"I think you mean bingo, Sir," Minion added.

"No, no, I've looked it up. They're definitely called dingoes." Megamind gestured dismissively. "But that's really not important now. This is it! This is his plan! Ares must really be on fire about this job because now he's planning to burn a house down! And that can only mean one thing: this is his target! It wouldn't be hard to cause an electrical fire. I wonder why he hasn't made his move yet?"

"You said he doesn't kill children," Roxanne suggested. "Maybe his target has kids."

"That would explain it… It's still winter break, so they would be home." He began typing again, and images started rapidly flashing across the screen.

"What are you doing now?" Roxanne asked.

"Running a search through all the real estate photos on record to see if we can find— Aha!" It was a slightly different angle, but the house in the image matched the ones Ares had taken.

"Dingo," agreed Roxanne.

"Please, Miss Ritchi, don't encourage him," Minion implored.

Megamind rolled his eyes. "Haven't you ever heard that ridiculous song, the one about the farmer who had a dog and Dingo was his name? Dingoes are dogs."

"The dog's name was Bingo, Sir," Minion insisted.

Megamind was too busy typing to respond. The screen filled with information that Roxanne, after a moment, recognized as a tax record. "475 Brimming Brook Road," Megamind said. "As of last April, it was the home of Rodney Johnson, widower, claiming one daughter as a dependent. It looks like he's been there for the past three years. What do you think the chances are he still is?"

"I'd say they're pretty good, Boss," Minion answered with a fishy grin.

Roxanne was wide-eyed. "That address is familiar!" She started searching through the newspaper clippings hanging from strings. "There was a break-in at that location a few days ago!"

"A break-in?" asked Megamind. He followed her as she snatched the article down.

"Yes, but nothing was taken."

"Hmmm… It's possible he tried to reach the target before. I think you may be right; he must have realized there was a child."

"The article said the family was away from home at the time."

"Even so, family photographs or toys on the floor could have been enough to make him withdraw and regroup. He'd want to set off the trap when the girl was away from home." Megamind paused. "The question is: what did this fellow do to earn someone aiming Ares at him? I've never even heard of this Rodney Johnson. From all I've been able to gather, Ares' usual victims are people like politicians and crime bosses, high rollers. So why this man?" He typed a few keys. "Huh. He's a lawyer. It would be interesting to know what cases he's currently working on."

"Whatever the reason, at least this means we still have time," Minion's expression was hopeful.

"It's too soon to claim victory just yet," nodded Megamind. "But now that we know the plot, the target, and the location, we finally have the upper hand. All we need is a plan." His trademark evil laugh rang through the room. "Ares, I will make you rue the day you ever dared to set foot in Metrocity! And it's all thanks to my— what?"

He'd noticed the looks on Roxanne and Minion's faces.

"If you're about to say it's thanks to your genius—" Roxanne began, hands on her hips.

"I was going to say: 'thanks to my brave and resourceful girlfriend.' Really! The two of you!"

"Better. That's much better." She smiled. "So what _is_ the plan?"

"I'll think of something."

"In the meantime, is there anything else we need to do before I check my messages?"

Megamind stepped aside and gestured toward the keyboard. "Be my guest. It uses standard Unix commands for low-security tasks like playing media." At the look on Roxanne's face, he added: "Control-shift-O to open an application, control-enter to select, L to play in the regular media player, or aplay to play in the command line."

"Right..." she said doubtfully.

"Come here. I'll show you."

The first couple of messages were fairly standard. "Checking in, Roxie. They said you weren't coming in today, so I wanted to make sure you're all good… Now Harold says you won't be in for a week. Do you have the flu? You'd better not have the flu. I got sent out with Leonard instead today. I swear that man has the charming disposition of a rabid bulldog. Save me! Seriously, though, I just wanted to see if you were okay. Call me if you need anything… Chica! You missed the best Christmas party ever! Michael Thompson got plastered and went ballistic on Weather Girl Barbie! Hope you're feeling better..." Soon, however, the messages became more concerned. "Okay, now they say you might be out all month? Roxie! What is up with you?! You'd better call me!… Is everything okay? Cause I am really getting worried. I'm starting to think you're dead in a ditch somewhere. Fair warning: if you don't call me I will come by your apartment tomorrow. Don't think I won't... I warned you! I just went by your place and Carlos said you've been away for over a week! Oh my God, Roxie, Are you in the hospital? I am crazy worried now! Call me back! I mean it!"

The final message, however, had a completely different tone. "So," it started in a conspiratorial voice. "Harold took me into his office and told me privately that you are in some kind of witness protection thing... and you're staying with Big M!—"

"Big M?" Megamind lifted an eyebrow.

"First," the message continued. "you know, you could have let me know you were alive. Second, what witness protection thing? Are you in some kind of trouble? Third: oh, my God, Chica. Oh. My. God. Did you move in with him?! You moved in with him! And you didn't tell me?! Roxie, as your devoted cameraman and friend, I am going to need all the details! You have got to call me. Like right now. Call me right now. So glad you're safe! But, for real, call me!"

Megamind was staring at the screen with a slightly shell-shocked expression on his face.

"Okay," Roxanne admitted. "Andro can seem a little overwhelming at first, but really he's just got a huge heart and a zest for life."

" _Big M_?" Megamind asked again.

Behind him, Minion was struggling not to laugh.

"It's better than what he used to call you."

"Do I even want to know?"

"M&M."

"For 'Mega' and 'Mind.'" he stated more than asked.

"Well, that and because of the time you sent me—"

"The two-pound bag of blue M&M's. I remember. Oh, it isn't that funny, Minion!" he added as his friend lost the battle for self-control.

"If it makes you feel any better," Roxanne told Megamind, "he only nicknamed you to tease me. Before you and me, I was known for being Miss Professional: all work all the time. I think Andro gets a kick out of seeing the effect you have on me. He says you're good for me."

"Oh, really? I'm starting to like this fellow," Megamind propped his chin on one hand and gave her a wry smile. "Tell me more… Just how do I affect you?"

Her face grew warm. "Um, apparently I get all dreamy-eyed and distracted when you're around—"

"That is true," offered Minion.

"I get a goofy grin on my face whenever you do something nice for no reason—"

"True."

"Everyone can always tell when you've sent me a flirty text because I blush like a schoolgirl—"

"Also true."

"And I've actually started making friends at the office since I started dating you."

Megamind looked at Minion, who shrugged.

"Well," the former chuckled warmly, returning his attention to Roxanne. "Your new cameraman obviously has sense, at least. I'm glad to know your bad good boy affects you so powerfully. Or am I your good bad boy?"

"I think it depends on your mood—"

"Ah."

"And how tight your leather pants are."

"And I am done with this conversation!" said Minion, throwing up his hands and starting away. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the basement. Wearing headphones. And banging pots together."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Filet Minon," Megamind nudged his friend with an elbow. "Both mine and Roxanne's bedrooms are completely soundproof."

"But the workroom isn't," Minion turned and crossed his mechanical arms over his chest. "Neither is the control room. Or the dining room. I still haven't forgiven you for that, by the way."

"Minion—"

"We eat off that table!"

"I did clean it twice."

" _We eat off that table!_ " Minion reiterated with feeling.

"No," Megamind said pointedly. " _We_ ," he gestured between himself and Roxanne, "eat off of that table. _You_ ," he pointed, "eat by lowering things into your bowl."

"Well, I still like to sit at the table while I do it!"

"I'm sorry, Minion," Roxanne laid a hand on his fur-covered shoulder. "You're right. I've been really inconsiderate. You live here too, and you were here before me. I should make more effort to make this less awkward for you. I'm sorry."

"Well," Minion sniffed, and cast a meaningful look at his master. "At least one of you cares about my feelings."

Megamind was rubbing his temple. "Of course I care," he sighed. "I'll tell you what, Minion, take the rest of the night off."

"Really?"

He dug out his wallet and handed over a couple of bills. "Go see a late movie or something. My treat."

"Thank you, Sir!"

"Be sure you use your holowatch!" Megamind called after his friend's retreating back.

Roxanne peeked around Megamind to be sure Minion was out of earshot before saying: "It's a good thing he didn't find out about the washing machine."

"That _was_ a lot of fun," Megamind agreed. "Who knew the spin cycle could be so exciting? It's still before ten o'clock on a Friday," he added, switching mental gears in that quick way of his. "Would you like to give your friend a call?"

"I thought you had… plans?"

"Indeed, but it's hardly a decent experiment if I don't make a few preparations. Besides," he added with a purr and a sultry eyebrow lift. "We're likely to be gathering data well into the night. Ah, yes! There's that schoolgirl blush!"

She laughed and swatted him lightly. "Okay. Do you want me to use your phone since mine is forbidden?"

"No need, I'll add a profile for you on the video call system," he answered, tapping away at the keys.

"And that's secure?"

"Very. Both the program and the encryption are my own, and I update them regularly. It would take a person of monumental genius to infiltrate them, and there are backup security measures for that highly unlikely event."

It took three rings for the call to be picked up. A handsome Latino man with stylishly shaggy hair and small silver loops in each ear appeared on the screen.

"Roxie! You were all over the news!"

Roxanne smiled. "Hello to you too, Andro."

"What the hell have you been up to?! I just saw you on the nine o'clock flying over a burning building with Big M! Are you playing hero now?"

"She's hardly playing," Megamind informed him. Roxanne loved the slight defensiveness in his voice on her behalf. He might not like her joining him on his adventures, but he wouldn't let anyone disparage her efforts.

Andro noticed Megamind in the background for the first time. "The man himself!" He enthused. "I've been trying to get Roxie here to introduce us for months! I'm guessing since she was wearing some sort of supervillain couture that she didn't get herself kidnapped again?"

Megamind shook his head. "She helped save a crowd from a burning building."

"And did she have a boxing match while she was doing it?" Andro gestured at Roxanne's cheek.

His friend snorted. "Pretty much. People were panicking and I punched someone's elbow with my face."

"You're okay, though, right? I mean, nothing worse than that?"

"Yeah, Andro. I'm okay."

"I'm glad, but... Listen, Roxie, between you and me, I'd keep the whole 'willing participation' thing quiet for now. Harold called, and he is pissed. Wants to know what you mean by saying you have to hide out with your blue beau, and then going and making a public scene."

"He called you at home?" Roxanne asked.

"Yeah, wanted information. Made it out like he was looking for an angle on the story, you and I both know he doesn't do research himself. I'm telling you, Chica, he is livid. I put the idea into his head that maybe you had a suit for extra safety, not because you planned to go all sexy sidekick, but still, you need to lie low for a while."

"I'll speak to him," Megamind promised. "I'll explain that we're trying to resolve the issue so you can return to work."

"I don't know, Big— Uh, Megamind," said Andro. "He's not too happy with you right now, either."

"I don't doubt it. Even so, if he wants to rain down his wrath upon someone, I'd rather it was me than Roxanne."

Andro looked back to his friend. "Complete dreamboat. I'm telling you."

"That will give me a chance to remind him that he might want to stay on the hero's good side, just in case something similar happens to his building," Megamind added with his best supervillain grin.

For a tense moment, Roxanne thought her friend would take him seriously, but then Andro burst out laughing. "Oh, man, if it comes to that, just say the word! I will plant a friggin' pipe bomb!"

Megamind crossed his arms, but there was a smile playing around the edge of his lips when he said: "Did you seriously just admit to planning an act of terrorism in front of the Defender of Metrocity?"

"Sure did!" Andro said carelessly. "I'll put it right in the fourth-floor men's room. Then they'll finally have to fix that damn toilet." He looked around. "Oscar. Mike. Golf—"

"Oscar did what?" Megamind asked.

"OMG," explained Andro. "Roxie, is that the Evil Lair?!"

"It isn't evil anymore," Roxanne reminded.

"Is that the Good Evil Lair?" Andro corrected. He grinned brightly. "You really DID move in with him! Talk, Chica! I need details! No, wait, hold on! News like this requires martinis!" Andro jumped up. Roxanne could hear clinking in the background. "Keep holding! I'll be right there!" he called. A moment later he was back with a glass. "That's better," he stopped, and then gave Roxanne a look. "Okay, the way this whole gossip session thing works is that we both have drinks. Where's yours?"

Megamind snapped his fingers in the air and a brainbot flew over. "Bring Mommy a martini." he glanced over at his lover. "Dry, neat, or—" he cocked a suggestive eyebrow. "Dirty?"

"Uh, Neat," she answered flatly, smiling a little at the look of mock disappointment on his face. The little robot buzzed off, chattering.

"They make martinis?" Andro looked back and forth between the other two. "And you're Mommy?" he added to Roxanne.

"Minion is an excellent cook, but his cocktails are weak," Megamind explained. "Don't tell him I said that."

"My lips are sealed," Andro promised. "But, seriously, _Mommy_?"

Megamind smiled. "I updated their programming shortly before Roxanne came to stay with me. It seemed only fitting. Well," he added as the brainbot return with the requested drink. "I'll let you two catch up. Come upstairs when you're done, Sweetheart. I'll be waiting." He kissed Roxanne's cheek and strode away.

"Waiting upstairs?!" Andro looked like he'd just gotten a puppy for Christmas. "Roxie! You little minx!" he grinned. "Are you banging Big M?!"

Before she could catch herself, Roxanne ran a nervous hand through her hair.

" _You ARE!_ " gushed Andro. "It's about damn time! I've got to tell you, Chica, if some man treated me the way he treats you, I would be all over him like white on rice!" He sipped his martini. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"What do you mean, 'well what?' Uh-uh, don't you give me that Miss Reporter look. You do not get to keep something this important away from your friend. Spill it!"

"I mean, things are pretty serious."

Andro took another sip. "How serious is 'pretty serious?'"

"Well, you know, I just…" Roxanne looked into her glass. "It's not like any other relationship I've ever been in. It feels… really right."

"Uh-huh," Andro waved an expected hand. "Details! Details!"

"Everything just clicks… It's comfortable and exciting and… Have you ever felt like someone saw you— I mean really saw you: cracks, flaws, and everything— and still thought you were wonderful?"

"I wish! Go on."

"This sounds stupid, but… I can't really remember what life felt like before him. It's like he's always been there. When he's not around, I… Oh, I don't know… I feel jumpy and empty and… Gray. It's like someone took the sun, and when he comes back, everything is in full color again."

"Chica, you are head over heels!" Andro announced. "Has he used the L-word yet?"

"Love?" Roxanne's smile felt gentle. "Everyday."

"And you've said it back?" he eyed her. "You'd _BETTER_ have said it back!"

"Of course I have!"

"Roxie, I am so jealous! I'm happy for you!" Andro looked it, too. He was beaming.

"I'm really glad to hear you say that."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just worry… Sometimes people can be so judgmental…"

"And you think they would have an issue with you two," Andro stated flatly. "Chica, do you have any idea how many people in this city would love to be in your shoes?"

"There are a few, but the majority probably—"

"Uh, Roxie, there are websites."

Roxanne's eyes grew wide. "Wow… Okay… That's a little creepy."

"It's the price you pay for dating a celebrity." Andro sipped his drink again.

"Yeah, but I know not everyone can feel that way. No matter how many fans he has, no matter how much good he does around the city, no matter how much I love him, even, some people are still only going to see that I'm human and he's not. They'll think it's weird… They might even hate us for it."

"You're talking to a gay man. Preacher, meet choir," he gestured with his glass. "Let me tell you something: it's true, some people are going to be sanctimonious assholes, some will even be downright cruel. But you know what? You can't please everybody, and you can't live your whole life according to other people's opinions. At some point, you've got to just acknowledge that, in the end, no matter what anyone else says, this is your life, not theirs, and you've got the right to live it. Otherwise, you'll just be living a lie. Look, Roxie, nobody chooses to fall in love, it just happens, and when it does," he shrugged. "You love who you love. The people who really care about you are going to keep caring about you even if they don't totally get your relationship, and they're the ones who matter. So you just do you."

Roxanne was embarrassed to feel tears pricking her eyes. "Thanks, Andro… I think I really needed to hear that."

"Hey, that's what I'm here for!" He paused for another drink. "Now, official disclaimer: I'm about to go into Mom Friend Mode because I need you to do something for me."

"I won't know if I can until you tell me."

"Fair. I need you to promise me that, whatever happens, you will not lose him."

"I wasn't planning to," Roxanne chuckled.

"I'm serious! They say all the good ones are gay or taken, but let me tell you, there aren't that many good single gay ones left either. He loves you, he makes you happy, and he actually seems like a great guy, as far as I can tell. You have managed to find one of the last truly good men in this city, so no matter what happens, no matter what people say, you'd better not let him go. If you do," Andro pointed emphatically at the screen. "I will personally come and slap some sense into you."

"Okay, okay," Roxanne held up her hands in mock surrender. "I won't give him up."

"I'm holding you to that." her friend insisted.

She smiled. "You won't need to."

"Good." There was another pause as Andro took a larger than normal gulp. "Okay, I have to ask, you know I do. What's Big M like between the sheets?"

She felt her smile shift into a grin. "He's pretty great. _Really_ great—"

"Okay, but is he like, you know, other guys?"

She looked at him.

"Hey, how often do you find out your friend is doing the horizontal tango with an alien? I mean, does he have… normal stuff, or, like, tentacles or something?"

"Andro, he's a mammal."

"Right. No tentacles, then… So… Really great, huh?" he waggled his eyebrows. "This is your chance to gush, so don't blow it."

Roxanne couldn't help it. She giggled. "Um, wow. Okay," she said after a fortifying swallow of her own drink. "He's… ah… very flexible. And attentive. And… Let's just say your nickname for him has new meaning now."

"Ooh, la la!" Andro laughed. "Chica, I'll be right back. I'm going to need another martini!"


	10. Daylight and Dark Chapter 10 - Basic Training

Something was tickling her bare shoulder. "Time to wake up, Roxanne," Megamind's voice was smooth and quiet.

"Uuuuurrrrrggggg," she complained and snuggled deeper into the blankets.

"Oh, no you don't," he chuckled and pulled the covers back down. She tried to glare at him, but his smile got in the way. "There are those beautiful blue eyes I love! Good morning, Sweetheart!"

"It's too early to be morning," she insisted, rubbing a hand over her face.

"A faulty hypothesis, I'm afraid. It's a quarter past six ante meridiem, and that is firmly classified as morning."

She groaned.

"I have coffee."

"You'd better," she joked drowsily.

"Come on. Drink up and dress in something comfortable. We start training today."

"Training?" she sat up, swinging her bare feet to the floor, and accepted the warm drink. It was in a black cup belonging to Megamind's impressive collection of novelty mugs, this one sporting the words: "THINGS TO DO: 1.) Coffee; 2.) World Domination."

Megamind sat beside her and ran a gentle hand up and down her bare back. "If you insist on putting yourself in danger, you're going to at least know how to handle it."

"And it has to be this early?" She took a sip, relishing the smooth, rich flavor. It was strong and just a little sweet with lots of milk, exactly the way she liked it.

"Seven days a week," Megamind answered. "I do have other work to do, too, you know," he added with an expressive eyebrow in response to her protesting noise.

"I know. I've gotten spoiled and lazy, sleeping late so much here."

He leaned in to press a kiss against her temple, but his voice was full of wry humor when he said: "Well, then, consider this good for your moral character."

"Villain," she teased. "I don't suppose I could talk you into coming back to bed and keeping me warm?"

"I am sure you could, Temptress," he said, jumping to his feet, "Which is why I shall be waiting in the workroom, safe from your seductive wiles."

"Not fair."

He turned back at the door, grinning and holding his arms wide. "Then you'll just have to come and get me, won't you?"

* * *

"It isn't much," Megamind warned her as he opened a door and flipped on a light.

She looked around at the concrete room— probably a large supply closet originally— with its single worn blue punching bag and floor pads.

"I've never needed more than the basics," he was saying. "I learned to fight in jail, after all."

"From Uncle Kip?" Roxanne guessed.

"Yes— well, he taught me boxing and mixed martial arts. I learned to fence from Ares."

"Of course he would like swords."

"Rapiers."

"Right. They're still swords. Where did he even learn to fence?"

"He came from a wealthy family, and attended an elite boys school before he decided murder was more his style." Megamind's mouth quirked sourly. "He fancies himself a gentleman of a bygone age."

"That explains the calligraphy. And I guess Kip was more the hand to hand type?"

"He was a champion street fighter before he was arrested."

"Is that why he went to jail?"

"Sort of. His wife was killed one night— shot through the car window when she pulled into the driveway— and Kip found out the people backing his opponent in the upcoming fight had intended the bullet for him. They were poised to lose a fortune. Anyway, when he got into the ring, no one could stop him. He beat his opponent to death. After that, he went after the backers; caught one of them in a brothel behind a sleazy strip club, another two in a gambling parlor… I'm told both scenes were a bloody mess."

"That's… intense…"

"As I said, people didn't cross Kip, but he wasn't a bad man, not really. He protected me when I was small."

"Megamind, you just told me he killed four people."

"True, but I can't really blame him. I shudder to think what I might do if I ever lost you that way," he began stretching one arm across his body. "Which brings us back to the issue at hand," he continued. "Ordinary people think only big, buff bruisers win fights, but that isn't true. The secret is understanding your body and knowing how to use it. You, like me, have a small frame. To win, you need to be three things: quick, agile, and cunning."

"Okay, where do we start?"

"Basic self-defense. Our priority right now is to prepare you in case you need to defend yourself when Ares makes his move. If our guess about the daughter on school break is correct— and I think it is— she'll be going back on January 7th. That gives us only eighteen days."

"Eighteen? It should be nineteen, shouldn't it?"

He gave her a look. "The twenty-fifth is Christmas. Even I'm not evil enough to make you work on a major holiday. Anyway, the point is that I can't turn you into a fighter in that short time, but I can teach you some… sneaky techniques that use your opponents' weight and size against them. We can adopt a more gradual and thorough routine after Ares is behind bars. Be warned," he gently grasped her forearms and looked sincerely into her face, so close she could see herself reflected in his gaze. "Our time frame means I'm going to have to train you hard. It's going to be rough. If you're not up for that, you can tell me. I won't think less of you, but I will demand that you sit this battle out."

She nodded, lips tight with determination. "I'm pretty tough. I can take it."

There was something almost like pride in his smile. "That's my girl," he said and kissed her gently. "Alright," he added, all business again. "Let's get started. Warm-ups and stretches. Follow me."

* * *

He hadn't been joking. Despite a curvy figure and a decided distaste for dieting, Roxanne was physically fit. She jogged every morning, walked or biked most places, and, before Ares had interrupted her life, had been taking weekly yoga and Pilates classes. However, by the time Megamind finally ended their training session, nearly three hours later, she had decided that his regime qualified less as exercise and more as some kind of self-torture. She was soaked with sweat and aching all over. The terrycloth headband he had loaned her had long since lost its battle against her perspiration, and her eyes were half-blind and stinging no matter how often she wiped them. There was a tight, hot soreness on her back, and Roxanne was fairly certain she was going to have bruises. Megamind, although apologizing with each repetition, had relentlessly thrown her to the mat every time she failed to complete the move he was showing her. He insisted she needed to treat sparring as a real fight, and, apparently, the approach worked. In the end, she had been able to execute the maneuver several times: twisting around him, knocking him off balance with a kick to the back of the knee, and using her own leverage, along with his momentum, to send him sprawling backward.

Afterward, she stumbled back to the living quarters for a hot shower and a change of clothes. Roxanne was sorely tempted to crawl into bed and nap, but she gritted her teeth against the impulse. Megamind, apparently, trained like this regularly— although perhaps not always for quite so long— yet he still always put in a full day of work afterward. She would do the same.

Indeed, when Roxanne made her way downstairs, she found the blue hero already in the control room examining live footage captured by brainbots patrolling the city.

Minion came in dressed in his Kiss the Cook apron and bearing a tray. "Breakfast!" he announced, proffering two plates along with two cups of coffee. "I thought grilled sandwiches would be easier to eat while you worked. How was training, Miss Ritchi?"

"Pretty good," she answered, accepting one of the plates. Her stomach twisted with hunger at the scents of buttery eggs, sharp cheddar, sweet peppers, and onions. "I beat your boss's butt."

"She did not," Megamind retorted, eyes still on the monitor.

"Anything interesting, Sir?" Minion asked, nodding toward the monitors as he set his master's plate on the edge of the console.

"Nothing yet," Megamind answered, reaching absently for his meal. "Well, there were some youngsters who thought it might be funny the spray paint rude things on the back of their school building, but the brainbots scared them off."

"You didn't want to put the fear of you into them?"

Megamind finished chewing a bite before he answered. "Why would I? Hardly worth the effort. Just self-expression, really," he grinned. "Besides, for all I know, Principal Mike Slavinski really is a big-butt jerk-face."

"Right," Roxanne said, playing along as she sipped her coffee. "Maybe he's the one you should be worried about. You could go lecture him about— oh, I don't know— positive learning environments. And maybe carbs."

"Oh, no, I do a lot of things Metro Man did, but I draw the line at Public Service Announcements. Besides, carbohydrates are good for the brain," he added, tapping the side of his large head with one hand and lifting his sandwich in the other.

"Did they really write out his full name like that, too? When I was a kid a didn't even _know_ my principal's first name."

"They looked to be first or second graders," he explained. "And they had an entire debate about whether they should be very clear about _which_ Principal Slavinski they meant, in case there was more than one around town. It was actually almost endearing in a destruction-of-property sort of way. Ollo!" Megamind added and wheeled his chair closer to one of the monitors. "What's this?"

Wiping her hands on a napkin, Roxanne walked up behind him. On one side of the screen, she could make out three men sitting in a car in an alleyway. As the image shifted, the brainbot clearly moving closer, she could make out the word "bank" on a building through the alley opening. One of the men slid something black into his waistband as he exited the car.

Megamind turned to Roxanne and lifted an eyebrow. "Ready for some more action?"


	11. Daylight and Dark Chapter 11 - Mega Christmas

"Good morning, Beautiful! Are you awake yet?"

Roxanne felt Megamind nuzzling her, the soul patch on his chin tickling her neck as he planted a kiss, and she stirred. "I am now," she groused half-heartedly, opening one sleep-blurred eye. "What... time is it?" she added, a yawn stretching her words.

"It's nearly eight!" he seemed almost radiant with energy. "I wanted to wake you up sooner, but Minion said not to. Come on! It's Christmas! Minion is going to make waffles, and we've got presents! I'm a patient man, but if you don't get up soon, you'll leave me no choice but to tickle you!"

Tired though she was, Roxanne couldn't help smiling at his eager joy. "I don't know," she teased. "I _might_ get up. _Maybe_. It depends. Is there coffee? I'm not leaving this bed unless there's coffee."

"Of course, with vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg! Come on, get dressed! No coffee until you're up!"

"Oh, that's just cruel." She turned and smiled sleepily at him.

He leaned down to kiss her. "A reformed supervillain is never quite free from his evil ways, I'm afraid, my Dear!" Taking her hand, he helped her up. It was a good thing he did. She nearly stumbled as soon as she put weight on her legs.

Megamind caught her before she could fall. "Are you alright?"

She laughed. "I think you did your work a little too well last night," she answered with a suggestive grin.

He looked slightly uncomfortable. "Not in a... Bad way, I hope?"

"No, no," she assured him, brushing his cheek. "My knees are still a little wobbly, but only in the _very_ best way." Roxanne slid one arm around his slim waist and tapped his nose with the opposite forefinger. "You, sir, saw to it that I was truly, completely, and expertly debauched."

"Mmmm," His concern was gone, replaced by a look that sent delightful shivers down to her toes. "Well, never let it be said that I am not… _thorough_." He waggled his eyebrows.

She chuckled again and pecked his mouth before moving away. In a moment of wicked impulse, she put a fluid sway into her bare hips as she walked toward the bathroom door.

Glancing coquettishly over her shoulder, Roxanne was gratified to see Megamind's eyes dark with wanton hunger.

"Come scrub my back while I shower?" she asked, filling her expression with knowing innocence and sly seduction.

He made a sound deep in his throat, an inhuman purr that always made things low in her body throb. "Yes," he growled. "God, yes."

* * *

Aware of Minion awaiting them, they made their tryst quick, and only an hour later Roxanne was sitting on the living room sofa, festively dressed in a comfortable pair of red yoga pants and a Yuletide t-shirt. The look was ruined somewhat by her robe— a thickly lined, light blue kimono with green and brown embroidery— but at least she was warm. Her hair was still a little damp, and despite the fire in the wood-burning stove, she didn't want to risk catching a cold.

Megamind half-danced over to her. "Merry Christmas!" he said, handing her a package. "Happy Hanukkah!" he handed her another. "Blessed Yule! Joyous Kwanza! Happy Yalda! Io Saturnalia!"

"Saturnalia, Megamind?" Roxanne grinned. "Really?" She looked to Minion for an explanation.

"Once he gets an idea into his head," Minion informed her with a smile. "You just sort of have to let him do it."

"Well, I didn't want to make any assumptions," Megamind sniffed, but he couldn't hide his grin. "Where was I? Oh, yes! Pancha Ganapati!" he presented another gift. "Soyal Blessings— I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to say for that one…"

Roxanne was laughing now. "What on earth is Soyal?"

"Winter Solstice celebration of the Hopi tribe."

"Uh-huh. Okay, I'm pretty sure you know I'm not Hopi."

"Yes, well, I was running out of holidays. Beannachtaí lá an Dreoilín!" he added, handing her another wrapped package.

"What is that? And how do you even know all this?"

"An Dreoilín is the Day of the Wren… It's an Irish celebration. I think it's connected to Saint Stephen's Day now, but it has its roots in a Druid Midwinter festival. As far as knowing things: I remember everything I read, and I read a lot. Happy late Saint Lucia Day!"

"How many of these _are_ there?" she asked, accepting the present.

"Twelve!"

" _Twelve_?"

"Yes, well, Christmas is the standard holiday celebrated by secular culture in this country, and there are twelve days of Christmas, so," he shrugged, "twelve presents. Apparently, that's what I'm supposed to do for my true love? There's a song about it."

"Come here and kiss me, you sweet, wonderful goofball."

With a grin, he did just that.

"I didn't know we were supposed to do twelve presents," she admitted.

"Oh, no, you don't have to—"

"But I did get you some things. You too, Minion. They're under the tree."

"Really?!" the hero's eyes lit up and he scrambled to the evergreen. "When did you put these here? I didn't see them yesterday!" Megamind was almost jubilant, nearly as excited as a child, and Roxanne's heart ached a little. The poor man probably hadn't received many gifts in his life. Had anyone other than Minion ever given him anything besides a hard time? She wondered if he'd ever even had a proper holiday before.

Well, she was changing that now, and she'd see to it that this was the first of many! "I put them under the tree last night using my sneaky nosy reporter skills," she joked in answer to his question.

"Nosy you may be, but sneaky? Come on."

"Hey, I can be sneaky!" she protested with a chortle.

He shot her a teasing smile. "Well, I've certainly never seen you do it."

"That's because I was too sneaky for you to notice!"

"Ooh! Touché!" Megamind laughed. "Minion, this one's for you!"

"You open one first, Miss Ritchi. You've got the most."

"Geez, rub it in, why don't you?"

"Oh, really, Sweetheart, it isn't a competition!" Megamind selected a small gift from her pile. "Go on! Open it!" He practically bounced on the balls of his feet.

She tore the blue and silver snowflake paper away to reveal a jewelry box. Inside was a white gold chain supporting a pendant. A more feminine version of Megamind's logo had been picked out in gemstones, the M glittering with sapphires. Where his logo usually displayed oblong lightning bolts, however, the pendant continued the lines, swooping back out to form the tails of twin R's that sparkled with diamonds. In the back of Roxanne's mind, a memory rose: a bit of history from an old documentary. Something about how it had once been traditional to create monographs of lovers' initials as a display of undying affection. She smiled up into bright green eyes. Of course he would know an obscure fact like that.

"Megamind," she breathed. "This is beautiful!"

"Do you like it? I designed it myself!"

"It's perfect! Will you help me put it on?"

He beamed. "I'd be delighted, Miss Ritchi." Bounding up behind her, he perched on the back of the sofa, his legs warm against her sides. When he held one hand out over her shoulder she obediently gave him the box, leaning forward a little to give him more room. He reached around her with the chain, gently caressing her skin as he did, and fastened the clasp before pressing a soft kiss on the nape of her neck. She leaned her head back against his thigh to smile at him. Expression tender, he bent down and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Okay, now one of you has to open one," she said, sitting up as he hopped back down.

Before long, diamond stud earrings, a photo album chronicling her first several months dating Megamind, and a blue evening gown custom-tailored by Minion had joined Roxanne's growing pile of unwrapped presents.

"I thought you might like to wear it on New Year's Eve," Minion explained. "Sir received an invitation to the mayor's party."

"What about you, Minion?"

"Oh, I was invited, too, Miss Ritchi, but I've already sent my regrets," he shuddered slightly in his bowl. "Formal parties are not my idea of a good time. I'd rather watch the parade and the ball drop from Nathaniel's Tavern."

As much as she loved her gifts, Roxanne enjoyed watching the guys open their presents from her even more. Their youthful delight was infectious. Minion was thrilled by a chefs' hat that matched his Kiss the Cook apron, a large bag of dried mill worms— his favorite snack— audiobooks by Erik Larson and Alison Weir— he loved history— and an abstract soapstone fish statuette that matched the décor in his room. He oohed over a gift card to the big international grocery downtown, which was a relief to Roxanne. Although Minion loved cooking, she hadn't been quite sure if giving him such a gift might seem self-serving.

"Did you two plan this?" the aquatic henchman asked with delight when he opened one of Megamind's gifts to him. Inside an envelope had been course material and a letter informing him that he'd been enrolled in next spring's Asian Cooking Course at the Metro City School of Culinary Arts.

"No, actually," Megamind chuckled, patting Roxanne's knee from his seat on the floor. "But great minds think alike!"

"I've always wanted to learn to make Dim Sum!" Minion enthused. "Oh! And Yakisoba!" Roxanne smiled. It still amused her a little that he could enjoy both pan-fried noodles and fish bait with the same relish.

She gave Megamind a custom-made set of silk pajamas embroidered with his logo, a book delving into the more complex aspects of quantum physics— which he began to read immediately— a bottle of twenty-year-old scotch, and his favorite cologne, Jean-Paul Gaultier's Pour Homme. He laughed when he opened her gag gift; she'd ordered, constructed, and painstakingly altered a model Hudson Hornet to look like the invisible car (when it wasn't invisible.) His favorite present, however, was easily the record player, speakers, and collection of classic metal vinyl she'd found months ago in a fleamarket. The player had been a steal, and all it had needed was a new needle, which she'd ordered online from a specialist shop.

"Audiophiles swear that a good record player is the next best thing to hearing the band in person," she explained. "I got you a couple of Christmas albums, too."

"I didn't even know The Trans-Siberian Orchestra released records!" Megamind exclaimed with delight. "Let's try it out!" he turned to one of the brainbots. "You there! Bring Daddy an extension cord!"

The little cyborg dropped the rope dog toy it had been happily shredding— Roxanne had bought an entire bag full of them— and zipped off to obey. Before long, Megamind had a rocked-out version of The First Noel blaring from his new record player. He grabbed Roxanne's hand and pulled her up to dance. Wearing a huge grin, Minion joined them.

After several songs, they collapsed, laughing—Megamind and Roxanne onto the sofa, Minion into his reinforced, custom-made chair. When Roxanne reached for her last gift, Megamind stopped her.

"You'd better open that one upstairs. It's for both of us, really," he said with a wolfish smile that made her cheeks flush.

Despite the heat in her face, however, she couldn't help but smirk. That particular package had been the "Saint Lucia Day" gift. Trust Megamind, with his ironic sense of humor, to give her lingerie in honor of a religious icon remembered for chastity. 

Afterward, they laughed and talked over waffles and coffee, Roxanne sipping from a new mug that read: "Reporters Do It on Live TV." It, along with a bag of dark roast beans so strong they were called Wake the Dead, had been a gift from Minion.

"That's not a bad idea, really," Megamind said, examining the cup and lifting a suggestive eyebrow.

"Sir! Don't you dare!" Minion protested.

"You're the one who suggested it," his master grinned, pouring syrup and powdered sugar onto another waffle. "You can hardly blame me."

"A coffee mug is _not_ a suggestion!"

Megamind had replaced the Trans-Siberian Orchestra album with his other new Christmas record, and the voices of Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole crooned classic holiday anthems. After breakfast, they played a game of scrabble by the fire. (Megamind won with "zoopsychologies.") When Silver Bells started playing, the hero offered Roxanne his hand with a bow and taught her the steps of a basic waltz. It was a perfect Christmas morning— the first real Christmas Roxanne had known in a long time— but unfortunately, the afternoon brought an unwelcome interruption.

"Carjacking reported at the corner of Grayson and Highway 31," Minion reported, checking his watch when an alarm sounded. "Looks like there's a hostage,"

"Duty calls," Megamind sighed. "They just had to ruin my day. Honestly! I'm going to dehydrate whoever's responsible and throw them into the shark tank at the aquarium!"

"That's not the holiday spirit, Sir!" Minion objected.

Megamind grinned wickedly. "I'll wear a Santa hat while I do it."

Minion rolled his eyes. "Miss Ritchi, I think I'd better go with him and make sure our city's hero doesn't expose himself to criticism."

"Oh, come on, he'd never really do something like that."

"He did once, actually."

Roxanne stared at Megamind, horrified. "You _what_?"

"Minion," Megamind said pointedly. "Go warm up the hoverbike."

"Yes, Sir."

Roxanne was not going to let him get away so easily. "Megamind, did you really?"

He didn't even have the decency to look apologetic. "That man raped a thirteen-year-old girl and got off on a technicality!" he protested defensively. "Besides, it wasn't sharks. It was the hippos at the zoo. _And_ I had the brainbots extract him before he actually _died_." He sketched a dramatic gesture in the air. "He was practically _thrilled_ when the police showed up. Made a full confession, actually _asked_ to be taken to jail. Of course," he chuckled. "I had to leave quickly to avoid being hauled in, too, but it was worth it. Last I heard, my Uncles were making that man's life an utter misery."

Roxanne was stunned. "I reported on that case. It was three years ago, right? When he was told trying him again for the same charges would be double-jeopardy, he demanded that he be allowed to bring charges against himself. It made the national news because it was the first time that had ever happened."

"Yes, well, I'd made it clear that it was either face the courts or face me," Megamind's slow smile was pure, delicious evil.

"Punishing crimes isn't exactly standard supervillain behavior, is it?"

"Someone had to do it. I've always had rules as the Criminal Mastermind— rules intended to keep people safe— and I expect them to be obeyed." He paused to give her a serious look. "But that's not exactly public knowledge, you understand."

"I won't tell if you won't. You realize you're going to have to tell me more about this sometime, though, right?"

"I'd be delighted. But right now I need to be the brilliant and incredibly handsome Defender of Metrocity." He struck an exaggerated heroic pose, and Roxanne laughed.

"Would you like some company, oh brave Defender?"

He chuckled and kissed her brow. "I wouldn't ask that of you, Love. I'll have Minion and several brainbots as backup. Take a nap, read a book, have a long bath. Or there's that Christmas movie marathon on Channel Fifteen. Stay here and enjoy your holiday. You deserve a break."

"Mmmm," Roxanne slid her arms around his neck, slipping one hand up to caress his large head. "I think I have a better idea, Megamind," she cooed with a come-hither smile. "This damsel is going to spend her time preparing for her hero's return. When you get home, you'll find me wearing that last Christmas gift and waiting for you upstairs."

He slid clever fingers down her sides to grasp her round bottom, pulling her against his warm body. "Oh, really?" he quirked an eyebrow. "In that case, my dear Miss Ritchi, I shall make quick work of this." He kissed her in earnest this time, pressing her closer still.

"Code: the hoverbike is ready, Sir," Minion announced over Megamind's watch.


	12. Daylight and Dark Chapter 12 - A Secret Revealed

"I think that went really, really well," Megamind said as he parked the invisible car back in the Lair and disengaged the stealth mode.

Two days had passed since Christmas, and he had taken Roxanne with him on another call: this one to apprehend two escaped convicts from another state who had had the bad luck to run out of funds in Metro City and the bad judgment to attempt armed robbery in Megamind's territory. On the brainbot video feed, the hipster managing The Chrononaut Tavern, a trendy steampunk bar the convicts had targeted, hadn't even sounded concerned as he handed over all the cash in the register.

"Okay, but you're really going to wish you hadn't when the blue guy shows up," he'd warned about five seconds before a swarm of barking cyborgs attacked.

That had been the last Roxanne had heard as she finished suiting up and jumped into the vehicle beside her lover. The Chrononaut was in one of the artistic boho neighborhoods that edged rougher parts of town and was close enough to the Lair that, even taking the invisible car rather than the hoverbikes, Megamind and Roxanne had arrived less than ten minutes later. They found the brainbots still playing with their prey, much to the chagrin of the would-be robbers. One had disentangled himself enough to aim his pistol and had had the spectacularly stupid idea to target the hero's companion. Granted, the thug couldn't have known the citizen he was threatening was the local Defender's girlfriend—at her lover's insistence, Roxanne was, after all, disguised as a college boy— but that hadn't stopped the blue alien from reacting. Megamind had immediately made good on the tavern owner's threats, and the convicts, who were now on their way back to prison, certainly had some new regrets... not to mention a few new bruises.

The manager had at least remembered Megamind's actual name when thanking the hero, though that hadn't kept Roxanne from teasing her lover for the entire short trip home. She'd cheerfully regaled him with her own lyrics to the Ghostbusters theme: "who you gonna call? That blue guy!"

In return, he'd playfully threatened to make her walk home. So she'd waited to sing the final chorus until they reached the Lair.

"That was payback," Roxanne informed him as Megamind hopped out of the car. "I still can't believe you made me disguise myself as a man."

Megamind hurried around and opened her door for her. That kind of thing had bothered her at first until she had learned that he performed such gentlemanly gestures as a sign of respect and affection, not because he thought she was weak or incompetent.

"Most people are shallow, Roxanne," he informed her, offering his hand. "They like to keep things tucked away in tidy little boxes inside their minds. You looked male, therefore you must have been male. They'll assume it was Minion with me. That way your editor-in-chief won't get his feelings hurt again."

"It was worth it to go with you," she admitted.

"I'm sure."

"And to see the look on that guy's face when you turned his gun into a little blue cube."

"That look never gets old."

"Sir, Sir!" Minion came hurrying to meet them. "Police Chief Simmons called— you really need to remember your cell phone— and there's been a development!"

"What's happened, Minion?"

"Do you remember that address that Ares targeted? Well, the daughter, Olivia, has been kidnapped!"

"WHAT?!"

"A man picked her up from dance class… He showed her birth certificate as proof— Sir, wait!"

Roxanne, hurrying to follow her lover, felt suddenly cold. "Brown hair, short beard, and glasses?"

"No," Minion answered, mechanical feet thumping alongside her. "Sandy hair, no facial hair, no glasses."

"He was seen with a gun," Megamind called back to them, dashing toward the control room, cloak streaming behind him. "I shot at him. He'll have changed his appearance enough not to match the Wanted bulletins by now. We've got to move fast! With the child no longer in the way, there's nothing to keep Ares from acting! Minion! I want brainbots watching that house and the surrounding area!"

"What about the girl?" asked Roxanne, running to catch up with him. "I thought he doesn't hurt children."

"He doesn't! He didn't! I don't know!" Megamind admitted, frantically searching through scores of hanging notes. "I don't like this. He's breaking his usual routine. If he has no discernible pattern, he's a wild card. He could do anything." He swung himself into the computer chair and began rapidly tapping keys.

Roxanne and Minion glanced at one another, then Roxanne spoke.

"Or maybe this is exactly what we need."

"What we need?" Megamind gave her an appraising look. "Are your reporter senses tingling, Miss Ritchi?"

"Well, he's kept the same code for years, right?"

"Yes, but..." Megamind paused, then jumped up, grabbed Roxanne's face between his hands, and kissed her. "You are a genius!" he said, dropping back into his seat. "Of course! People don't change their habits for no reason! I've studied every report and cold case bearing his signatures, talked to various contacts in the underworld, and usually, Ares would have just waited for the child to be away from home," he spun his chair to a different keyboard and began typing so quickly his fingers became a blue blur. "If he's changing his behaviors, there must be a reason! The girl is significant, but not the target, so what is she?"

He began pulling up public records and searching them. "It looks like Mr. Johnson and his wife married five years ago, but the daughter, Olivia, is seven, meaning Johnson isn't the…" he opened a new document and stopped dead.

"Oh my God," whispered Roxanne.

It was a birth certificate made out seven years before.

"Olivia Jane Nelson," Megamind slumped back in his chair, staring at the screen. "Ares has a child."

* * *

"And you're sure that this isn't all he's here for, to get his daughter back?" Police Chief Simmons asked. He was a dark-skinned man with graying hair at his temples and a build like an aging quarterback.

"After seven years?" Megamind stopped pacing long enough to eye the other man. "The mother used Ares' last name on the birth certificate and the legal name change to Olivia Johnson. I found both in only a few minutes. The same with her step-father's tax records."

"Yeah, but aren't you some kind of super-genius?"

"So it might have taken him hours rather than minutes; it still wouldn't have taken him years! I'm convinced that Ares could have come after his daughter at any time." He shook his head and resumed walking back and forth. "No, Ares is a killer. And he mentioned 'business' in his first letter to me. He's not just here to grab the girl and go." He stopped and rubbed his brow. "But why now? After such a long separation?" He looked from the police chief to Roxanne. "Business," he said again, and then used a word that his lover had never heard cross his lips outside of the bedroom.

"Wow, Blue," Simmons looked amused. "I didn't know you even knew how to cuss."

"I was raised in a prison. Of course I know how to curse. I just don't. Usually," He grimaced, running a hand over his bald head. "It's ungentlemanly. Shows a distinct lack of vocabulary and imagination," he continued in a distracted tone, eyes fixed blindly on the carpet as he paced. "If Ares is here on business, it means he's getting paid. If he's after Johnson because of his daughter, it means that's not the job. He's got another target, and I need to learn who it is."

"Fuck," Simmons agreed. "It's too much to hope that he's getting paid to go after Johnson… Too big a coincidence… Fate just isn't that kind."

Megamind nodded. "Keep sending me anything on unusual accidents, and let me know if anyone in a powerful position calls dispatch. Ares is the best at what he does; his services don't come cheaply. Anyone he targets is going to be important enough to be worth spending a lot of money on having eliminated."

"Speaking of assassinations, do you think there's a chance Mrs. Johnson's death wasn't an accident?" Roxanne asked.

It was Chief Simmons who answered. "No, I had the records pulled. It was a case of drunk driving. The husband was at the wheel, and he had a blood-alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit."

"Shamefully irresponsible," said Megamind. "And yet Ares didn't come for his daughter at that time. I keep thinking over everything he told me when I was young, and I can't think of anything that would make age seven significant. I can't recall anything from mythology either. So, why would a man content to let his child live as another man's daughter for years suddenly change his mind? If he wanted his daughter back to begin with, he would have come for her long ago. He didn't. If he had had some sort of life-altering experience, I doubt he would continue behaving like the old Ares. So why?" He stopped pacing and sighed. "Simmons, do you think you could use your connections to find more information on Mr. Johnson? A city detective could also interview people close to him far more discreetly than I can."

"You smelling a rat, Blue?"

"I don't know. There's something else going on here, a missing piece to this puzzle. If Ares hasn't changed, and the mother is dead, that leaves the step-father as the most likely catalyst. I want anything and everything you can discover concerning Mr. Johnson's background and recent activities. I want to know what's different."

"That seems a little like blaming the victim, doesn't it?" the other man leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

Megamind shook his head again. "It won't necessarily be something negative. It could be— oh, I don't know— plans to move overseas for a new job. If Ares wants to keep his daughter somewhere accessible, so that he can occasionally look in, that might be enough to set him off. Remember, this man is a Sociopath with a strange code of honor; any infraction to his code or insult to his sense of importance gets blown far out of proportion."

"Isn't it also possible he kidnapped his daughter simply because he wanted to? Maybe Ares just decided he wants to be a father and saw his job here as his chance" Roxanne said.

"Possible, yes; probable, no. Regardless, we have to hope that isn't his only reason, because if it is we don't have any leads," Megamind answered, moving to the office's window, tapping one finger against the plate glass. "While Ares may not intentionally harm children, I can't imagine he'll ever be nominated for Parent of the Year. Living with an assassin, traveling from one run-down motel to the next, constantly at risk of being used as leverage against her father? That is no life for a child. But once Ares leaves Metrocity, he will become nearly impossible to locate, even for me," he heaved a deep breath. "The man is like a ghost. He's a master at disappearing in plain sight: always just a faceless part of the crowd," he turned back to look at them. "The sooner we find that little girl, the better."


	13. Daylight and Dark Chapter 13 - Coincidence?

Roxanne expected her sleep that night to be haunted by frightened girls and shadowy figures, but, perhaps thanks to Megamind's expert (and rather exhausting) ministrations, what came to her instead was a surprisingly pleasant dream. She was riding the carousel at the shabby little amusement park her mother had occasionally taken her to when she was young, and Margaret Ritchi herself was there, alive and smiling. As the colors of the park swirled around them to the accompaniment of bell-like music, Roxanne told her mother all about the wonderful, unique blue man with whom she'd found unexpected love. Suddenly, the music changed from a merry carillon tune to a strident beeping.

The dream shattered and Roxanne jerked awake. Beside her, Megamind was already sitting up, reaching for his watch on the nightstand.

"Sorry, alert from surveillance," he said, examining the small, curved display hidden in the otherwise classy, old-fashioned watch face. (Megamind's holowatch looked for all the world like an expensive mechanical Swiss timepiece, and he had assured her that despite all of the technological goodies on-board, the timing mechanism itself was, indeed, made from springs and gears.)

"I'm guessing this means we have to get up," she yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"I do, at least. You should stay here and rest," he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I don't need as much sleep as you do."

"What's happening?"

"It looks like the brainbots may have found a lead on Ares!" he said, leaping with sudden energy from the bed and pulling on his pajama bottoms. (Roxanne loved that the man who'd once been the city's most feared villain wore blue fleece pajamas featuring hazard symbols. It was just so… him.)

"What have they found, exactly?" she asked. Ignoring her lover's protest, she scrambled out from the covers and began searching for her own satin nightdress. Megamind had thrown it somewhere around the foot of the bed.

"The Stay Suite Motel near the dockyards," Megamind responded, shoving his feet into evil-eyed bat slippers. "Single male occupant, suspicious behavior. The brainbots spotted him first making contact with an unknown party in a new model luxury sedan— the windows were too darkly tinted to get a good image— then later with Slim Sandbergen— he's an information broker, and I don't mean legitimate data. Whoever the man at the Stay Suite is, he doesn't match the facial recognition scan for any of the criminals in my database. It's not much, but it could be something, and I'd have to check it out anyway. If he's not in the database it means he didn't register with me when he came into town."

"Register? Wait, criminals have to register?"

"Well, professional ones and chronic offenders do." He blinked at her. "Roxanne, I'm the Mastermind, and believe me, Master of All Villainy isn't just an empty title. I rule the underbelly of this city. So, yes, just as they would need permission to engage in illicit business on a Mafia don's territory, they have to register with me and pay me the proper respect. My turf, my rules."

"I thought you just meant that you'd mastered every type of villainous act," she'd slipped on her gown, and was securing her silk robe around her waist. "Doesn't that cause a conflict of interest? I mean, you're a hero now!"

"By controlling the criminal world I can keep a cap on crime. There's no other effective way to manage the matter. It's impossible to keep things in check from the outside. The legal system may punish crimes, but I stop most of the worst ones from happening in the first place. I maintain restrictions on thieves, limit violent crime," he began quickly buttoning his pajama top. "I regulate narcotics to ensure nothing is being laced with other substances, and to keep the supplies purposefully low— low enough to minimize the damage, but not so low that it skyrockets prices and induces people to buy uncontrolled goods in Detroit. I regulate the sex trade so that there's no abuse and no underage workers." he frowned slightly. "It's not a perfect system, I admit that, but it's the best I've got."

"That's not the work of a few months."

"I've been the Mastermind since I was nineteen."

That bit of news stunned her. She did a quick mental calculation. The crime rates in Metro City had begun sharply declining when she was fourteen, a little over two decades ago. Poor Megamind. At the age most kids' biggest worries were college classes and part-time jobs, he'd had to create a criminal empire so that he could keep people safe. He'd probably had to play dangerous games for years before that just to survive.

"What does everyone else think you've been getting out of it all this time if they didn't know you were trying to minimize crime?" she asked. "Are you telling me no one ever found that the least bit suspicious?"

His expression was fond. "Of course you would figure me out. Naturally, I had to be seen to get something out of it. The arrangement is little different from that with any other organized crime boss, really. Above a certain amount, I get a cut of all profits from illegal activity."

"And what do you do with it? I can't imagine you keeping it," she lowered her voice to a whisper as followed him out of her bedroom. No sense in waking Minion.

"A large portion of it goes back to the community. I wouldn't feel right otherwise. That's where all those big donations come from. Nobody but Minion and I— and now you— know it, but the criminal underworld of this city unwittingly helps fund a lot of social programs."

"Such as?"

He smirked. "Nosy reporter."

"Old habits die hard. Besides, I really want to know about this part of your life."

"That money built and supports organizations helping everyone from adult learners who want to fix their lives to people who need hospital care and can't afford insurance, from small business startups to families in need. Then there's all the money I donate— anonymously, of course— to a couple of no-kill animal rescues and extracurricular education programs."

"Wait, you're behind the Families First Foundation? And the Health Assistance Fund?"

"Along with the teaching hospital, yes. The idea is that regular doctors visits and some minor operations can be performed by new graduates working their residencies, while more involved medical problems… Well, with the help of other donors, I provide medical school scholarships every year, but in exchange those who take advantage of them sign a contract agreeing that a certain percentage of their patients will be probono for a set number of years— usually five to ten. Years I mean. It depends on whether they take a partial or full scholarship. By the time the term is up, there are new graduates taking their place. Although some agree to continue seeing established patients for free. I ensure there are… certain benefits."

"And what's the percentage?"

"Generally fifteen to twenty percent— enough to make a real difference but not enough to discourage students from entering into the agreement. Between that and the Health Assistance Fund, thousands of struggling patients get free medical care in this system every year. Tens of thousands more pay less than a penny on the dollar. Even more receive free standard medical treatment at the teaching hospital, from doctors who volunteer part of their time, or at nonprofit health centers. Hundreds of thousands get help paying medical bills through the fund. Add to that what few state and federal programs exist, and, well, in a city of barely one million, it makes a significant impact. And of course, it's based not only on income but on medical needs as well. Long-term disabilities, things like that. Being in the adult learning program guarantees healthcare for low-income individuals. We even occasionally help some students from Detroit. That encourages more people to take the first steps toward building a better future. Because that's important; otherwise too many people remain in low-wage dead-end jobs for fear of losing what little stability and insurance they have. Or they end up trapped in homelessness because businesses don't want to hire what they think of as 'bums.' It's all one system, really, like components in a machine built to improve life in this city overall. It's not perfect, far from what it should be, but," he shrugged. "I'm one person. I do what I can."

"You do more than anyone else I can think of," she assured him. "Do you help fund the health clinics, too?"

"They get sizable donations every year."

"What if someone tries to back out of the contract after they graduate? Or tries to fudge the numbers?"

He gave her a darkly significant look. "Roxanne, I'm Megamind. What do you think happens?"

"Right. I'm guessing nothing pleasant."

"I've always been very good at being bad. Thankfully only two have ever been stupid enough to try it."

"So you ensure that unemployed, low-income, and even lower-middle-class people have access to medical care… Then that sort of interfaces with the Safe Harbor Shelter and the New Horizons Learning Center?"

"Not exclusively, but yes."

"Everyone thinks Metro Man and his parents did all that!"

"Yes, well, they've been given credit for several of my more altruistic projects. Not that that bothers me; it's always made it easier to hide my involvement, and thus my real motives," he shrugged. "And of course I don't do it alone— there are a lot of fundraisers and wealthy donors too— but I started and largely pay for those organizations." He said it like it was nothing, as matter of fact as if he was discussing paying bills rather than changing lives. That was something Roxanne had noticed about her lover: he could be vaunting nearly to the point of megalomania about some things— his looks, his mind, his inventions— but other more charitable things he played down. She wondered if it was a force of habit after years of keeping his supervillain reputation intact, or if his life as an outsider had made him shy of praise. Looking at him, she suspected the latter. That might explain why he took his occasional boasting to nearly comical extremes; no one would be likely to take those sorts of proclamations seriously.

No one, that was, except the one woman who knew and loved him enough to see right through him. "You're amazing," she tugged his arm to slow him long enough to kiss his cheek. "Is that why you don't want to stop? The community would suffer?"

"In more ways than one. I've been pulling the strings of Metrocity's criminal organizations for twenty-two years, Sweetheart. If I suddenly stopped, do you have any idea how much bloodshed there would be? Think about it: every gang leader fighting to be on top, not to mention the likelihood of other crime bosses making a move on the territory. It would tear apart the whole city. And even when it was over, do you think whoever won would care about keeping ordinary people safe? No. Local powers have tried to overthrow me in the past, and they have already shown they're willing to let violent crime run rampant as long as the dollars keep flowing in."

"Who's tried to overthrow you?" she asked as they made their way to the bottom of the stairs. "I mean, I know about the confrontation with the Peretti Family years ago, but I didn't know there were others."

"Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes' oh-so-perfect parents are the worst offenders. What?" he added at her shocked expression. "You didn't really think they made all those billions legally, did you? Their business interests don't pay _that_ well."

"I… never thought about it. Does Wayne know?"

"He doesn't seem to, although I'm shocked the fact they call themselves Lord and Lady Smith didn't give something away."

"I always thought it was just, you know, an ancestral title."

He scoffed. "In the United States?"

"Okay, yeah, probably a stupid assumption. So Metro City's favorite power couple are really crime bosses? Now there's a story!"

"No! Don't! Roxanne, they're dangerous." He flipped on the lights of the workroom. "Well, Lord Smith is, anyway. Lady Smith is just a fool from an old East Coast family who lends him respectability. Brainbots! Bring out Daddy's battle attire!" He disappeared behind the changing curtain and continued: "Honestly, I don't know whether she's really so oblivious that she doesn't see what's happening right under her nose, or if she simply doesn't allow herself to see it."

It took Megamind less than a minute to suit up— it was impressive how quickly he could dress— and he stepped back into view, fastening on his cloak. He holstered the De-Gun and clipped a Knock-Out Grenade— one of his recent inventions— to his belt before giving Roxanne a deep kiss and swinging onto the hoverbike.

"I'll be home as soon as I can, Sweetheart," he said as he warmed the engine.

"Are you sure you don't want me with you?"

"You need rest, and honestly, I doubt I'll see any violence tonight. For all I know this man could be completely unrelated. Even if this _is_ Ares, in his line of work only fools trust their clients and informants. If he had a meeting right outside this particular motel, he's probably staying somewhere else with the little girl, and I don't want to arrest him until I know where Olivia is."

"But you can't _know_ that. It's only a guess."

"More than a guess, Love. Let's call it an educated hypothesis. The Stay Suite is the kind of place that asks no questions and rents rooms by the hour— perfect for setting up a clandestine meeting, but not somewhere you could safely sleep. I'm only hoping I'll find something we can use. If I'm very lucky and he hasn't left yet, I might even be able to tail Ares. But to do that, I'll need stealth, and that's easier with one person." Seeing the obstinate expression on her face, he smiled reassuringly. "I only take calculated risks, remember? I wouldn't go alone if I thought I would be in any danger. Keep your holowatch close. If, by some chance, Ares is still there, I'll signal for backup and limit myself to surveillance until you or Minion arrive. I won't engage him on my own unless I have to. I promise. Now," his smile grew gentle, and he brushed long, blue fingers against her cheek. "Please get some rest, Sweetheart. You can hardly help anyone if you're exhausted."

Roxanne sighed but relented. Sometimes his infallible logic could be incredibly inconvenient.

"Be careful," she said. "I love you." The woman tried to stretch far enough up to kiss him again, and he obliged her by leaning down and giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"I will," he promised. He pressed a button and the hoverbike slowly levitated from its stand "This really is likely just a reconnaissance mission. Try to get some sleep. I love you, too." Then he revved the small aircraft into gear and took off through the hologram wall. The metal door slammed down behind him.

Despite Megamind's words, Roxanne knew there was no way she would get back to sleep. Even before she'd officially moved in they had slept curled around each other every night for months. Back when they had not yet become lovers, Megamind had still spent many evenings winding her in his arms, whispering conversations and soothing her with gentle touches until she drifted off to sleep. True, the hero's duties too often called him away for a few hours, but he always returned. They stole every moment, every embrace and lingering caress, that they could, and Roxanne realized with a start that she couldn't clearly remember the last time she'd slept alone, couldn't even recall what it felt like. On the rare occasions crime-fighting kept her lover busy all night, she always tossed in sore-eyed wakefulness, cold and uncomfortable and agitated, until he crept into bed beside her during the dark hours before dawn. The silken touch and warm scent of his skin had become both her aphrodisiac and her sedative. Add to that the fact that she would do nothing but fret until she knew he was safe, and there was no way she would possibly find any rest.

She made some coffee in the pot on one of his work tables, and sat in his high-backed office chair, taking slight comfort from the familiar scent clinging to the black leather and trying not to worry. Desperate for a distraction, she examined the day's news for any signs of Ares they might have missed— not that it would matter much if the killer was caught tonight. She was still there over an hour later when her lover returned.

"Megamind? Did you find him? What happened?"

"I had to disable a bomb. Ares had been there, alright, but he was long gone before I arrived. I found this on the desk."

He handed her an old bit of newspaper— a minor article about a new educational facility— and she recognized the building in the grainy black and white photo.

"That's—"

"My old shool house, yes, and Metro Man's hideout."

"So you don't think Wayne could be the target?"

"Most people think he's already dead."

"Maybe he was planning to blow the school building up, just to send you another message?"

"I doubt it. He knows how much I hated the place; how I was bullied and beaten, ostracized by everyone, even the teacher."

"I remember you telling me, I still can't believe what a prick Wayne was to you. But if Ares thinks Wayne is dead and if you hated the school, then why would he have this?"

"He knew I'd be there. He's taunting me."

"How? How did he know you'd found him?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it."

Roxanne nodded mutely, studying the photo.

"Do you mind if I hold onto this?"

"Keep it, if you want it. I doubt it had any purpose beyond provoking me."

Roxanne remained silent. She couldn't agree. Something about the photo tugged at instincts honed by years of searching out buried truths. She might not know its significance yet, but she was an investigative reporter. One way or another, she'd find out.


	14. Daylight and Dark Chapter 14 - Agent of Chaos

Megamind and Roxanne, both in holographic disguises, were having coffee and doughnuts at one of the blue hero's favorite bakeries. He had decided, after seeing Roxanne become increasingly restless in recent days, that she needed a change of scenery, and had announced after training that morning that he was taking her out.

"It won't be much of a date," he'd said apologetically, "Unfortunately we don't have much time to spare. But you need to get out of the Lair for a little while. And Ares is unlikely to target somewhere that close to Central Precinct on a whim, especially in broad daylight. As long as we're in-cog-nitto, we should be safe enough for a short outing."

"Incognito," she'd smiled. "And you know I never say no to Dani's Donuts!"

"Only a crazy person would," he'd assured her with mock seriousness.

They were sitting at one of the little cafe tables inside, near the back corner, well away from the large windows. Megamind had positioned his chair so that he could see all of the other customers despite the fact that two brainbots, both with newly-installed invisibility shields, were keeping watch just outside.

Roxanne basked in the cheerful pastel atmosphere of the bakeshop while she breathed in the delectable scents of warm sugar and fresh coffee. It was nice to do something so incredibly normal again, chuckling and chatting over lattes and sweets. Roxanne was on her second cafe mocha and enjoying what had to be the best chocolate eclair in Metro City. Megamind was on doughnut number eight— he'd ordered one of nearly everything, two of his favorite raspberry jelly doughnuts— and was busily describing a hilarious mishap with a super adhesive he'd invented years before. It was a safe enough subject as he'd sold the patent once he'd tweaked the compound, and anyone who happened to overhear would assume he worked for a chemical manufacturer.

"...And then it exploded. Of course, what do I do? Without thinking, I start to run toward the lab table to stop anything else from going wrong. I take two steps. Exactly two. You can guess why! So, there I was, boots permanently affixed to the floor. There was nothing to do but untie them and accept them as a casualty of science, but I certainly didn't want to walk across the mess barefoot— can you imagine?!— so I got the bright idea to sit down in my office chair and wheel it really fast across to the door before it could stick!"

"Wait, but didn't you…?"

"Yes. The beaker of the final product," he leaned closer for emphasis. " _In the seat of the chair_." He laughed along with her. "Do you know that moment when you realize you've left your keys in the car just as the door slams? Yeah. This was exactly like that. Only worse. I was balanced on one leg, trying to untie the remaining boot without touching my bare foot to the floor, and I just sort of fell back into the seat! The moment I did, I knew I'd made a terrible mistake. But I was completely committed by then— _stuck_ if you will— so I went forward with Operation Maybe if I Wheel It Fast Enough Today Won't Get Any Worse!"

Roxanne coughed on her latte as she laughed.

"I pushed off as hard as I could from the computer desk, sailed across the room, and SPLAT! Right into the wall two feet to the left of the door! So now I'm glued to a chair that's glued to a wall in a secret lab nobody knows about, and all I can think is: Oh, God, I'm going to be in one of those Darwin Awards books!" He glanced around quickly and leaned close again, lowering his voice. "Thank heavens for brainbots! They had to cut all my clothes off of me and lift me out of the chair!" He laughed again. "Just a naked blue man soaring through the air! Nothing to see here!"

"Shhh!" she hissed, patting the air with one hand, but she giggled while she did it. "Why would you be blue?"

He didn't miss a beat. "That particular secondary lab was in the old Hemsworth Building. Have you ever been in an abandoned warehouse in January? It was _freezing_ in there!" he chortled. His phone rang, Heavy Metal is the Law blaring.

"Ugh, Simmons, please don't let this be a call to duty," Megamind said before he answered. "Ollo?"

* * *

Megamind deactivated his disguise before he exited the invisible car, and motioned for Roxanne to do the same.

"I doubt Ares will decide to voluntarily visit police headquarters," he explained, "and the holowatches are not really public knowledge. I'd like to keep it that way."

She nodded, grimacing a little at the memory of how openly she'd used the device at the Harlequin Club. Turning her own holographic image off, Roxanne followed him through the dim parking garage and into the precinct doors. In the front lobby, several officers greeted Megamind cordially, Officer Hanesley among them, although Roxanne noticed veiled suspicion still lingering in a couple of pairs of eyes. They passed through to an office where detectives worked at cubicles.

"Hey, Defender!" one of them called. "You got time to help with a missing person?"

"What can I do?" Megamind turned toward a man in his late thirties with tired eyes and two days worth of stubble on his chin.

"Fourteen-year-old kid, last seen at the King Pin Bowling Alley with a couple of friends. Never made it home. Parents just went through a nasty divorce, and they're worried he's run away. If he did, he did a real good job getting lost. We can't find a single lead."

The hero nodded. "Send over all of the information, Detective Tully. I'll get the brainbots on it right away."

"Thanks, Blue," the man clapped Megamind on the shoulder. "You know how mean these streets can be. Hey, we never see you at the Thursday night dinners. We're at my place this time, and you haven't lived til you've had Farida's Chicken Bastilla. You two want to stop by?"

Roxanne hid a smile. Her heart felt like it was filling with warm air until it might float. A year ago, her lover had been reviled by the entire city; it was good to see him surrounded by camaraderie and acceptance.

"I'll try," Megamind was saying, "but I can't make any promises. The case I'm on now is demanding most of my time."

"One of those. I feel you."

"Indeed. If we don't make it this time, let me know when the next one is, and I'll be delighted to join you."

"Sure thing, Blue! I'll try to save you some Chicken Bastilla if you don't make it, but don't hold me to it!" the detective patted his stomach.

Police Chief Simmons was pacing his office when they entered.

"I've got some bad news, Blue," he said as soon as Megamind closed the door behind him. "You know, of course, that Nelson is wanted in a lot of different states. Well, I've just been informed that this is a _federal_ case, and we've been saddled with an FBI agent."

Megamind frowned. "That doesn't need to be a problem. I'm certainly willing to work with this federal agent as well, and if that helps us catch Ares faster, it can only be a good thing."

"I keep forgetting you're pretty new to this," Simmons dropped into his chair and rubbed a big hand across his face. "Feds can be… territorial, and this guy is a dick even by the usual standard; not exactly cooperative. He barely tolerates my officers, and he's made his opinions about what he calls 'interfering civilians' pretty clear."

"Has he indeed?" Megamind casually sipped his coffee.

"He's going to cause problems, Blue. He's already demanding that you be taken off the case, and since it's been deemed a federal matter, he can do it."

"I'm certain he'll try."

"I don't think you understand—"

"With all due respect, Simmons, I ran circles around every officer and agent they could throw at me for twenty years. It took a hero with literal superpowers to match me."

Simmons opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted as a perfunctory knock on the door was followed by it swinging open. A tall, thin man in his mid-forties, dressed in a dark blue suit, strode in like he owned the place. He had a bearing that spoke of military service and authority. Roxanne didn't need to see a badge to know that this must be the fed in question.

A second later Simmons confirmed her suspicions. "Agent Rickard," he said blandly. "I'm in the middle of a meeting."

Rickard was staring daggers at Megamind. "Oh, good, the circus has come to town."

"Ooh, really?!" Megamind beamed. If Roxanne hadn't known him so well, she would have thought he was sincere. "I love the circus! What's your favorite part? Is it the clowns? I'll bet it's the clowns."

Rickard turned to Simmons. "What is that?" he asked, pointing back at Megamind.

Megamind lifted an incredulous eyebrow as the agent looked back to him, then glanced down at the disposable cup in his hand. "It's called a latte," he explained. "They sell them at the cafe down the road if you're interested."

"I know what a damn latte is!"

"I fail to see the point in asking about it, then."

"Because I wasn't asking about the coffee!" Rickard growled.

"A guessing game!" Megamind grinned. "I haven't played one of those in ages! Let's see..." he looked down, taking stock of his appearance. "These are called clothes," he explained, gesturing at his shirt. "And this is a watch. Let me know when I'm getting warmer!"

"Cute," Rickard scowled. "Really cute."

"Do you like it? I made it myself! Have I won the game?"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Okay, I'll keep going! This is called a belt!"

Rickard looked at Simmons, his expression eloquent with bewildered fury. "Is he fucking serious right now?"

"Oh, no, no one but Roxanne," the hero threw an arm around his lover's shoulders. "And not at the moment."

Roxanne hid her smile, simultaneously amused and impressed when she realized what her brilliant blue boyfriend was doing. Eager to play her part, she jumped in. "Oooh! Megamind! I think he's giving us a hint!" She turned toward the agent. "You're talking about what's below his belt, right? That's his pride and _my_ joy!"

That did it. "You _fuck_ that thing?!"

"Oh, I know," Roxanne cooed sweetly. "It really is huge, isn't it? And between you and me—"

"I do _not_ need—"

"It's even bigger than it looks—"

"To hear about his alien dick!"

"But he's so good at using it that I never have any trouble."

"STOP!"

"I'm sorry," Roxanne gave him a look of pure, innocent contrition. "Am I making you feel inadequate?"

Rickard glared at them both. "Do you know who I am?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"I'm afraid not," answered Megamind blithely. "No idea."

Movements jerky, Rickard pulled open his suit jacket to show his badge. "That's who I am!" he snapped.

Leaning in closer for a better look, Megamind pretended to study the words stamped on the badge for a moment before looking up.

"It's very nice to meet you, Mr. F'bee Ah-gint!" he said.

"Do you realize I could arrest you?!"

Roxanne turned toward Megamind with a bemused look. "Could he really, Darling?"

Megamind put on a thoughtful expression. "No, Dear, we're only talking. There's no law against talking."

"This is fucking ridiculous!" the Fed threw up his hands.

"Ridiculous?" asked Roxanne tartly, recognizing her cue. "No. Do you want to know what's really ridiculous, Agent Rickard? The idea that in this day and age— in 2011, for God's sake!— with all of the anti-discrimination policies in place throughout government agencies— including yours— you still think you can walk in here and call the Defender of this city a thing just because he happens to look different from you! _That's_ fucking ridiculous!"

Rickard had stopped dead, nostrils flaring, but there was tension around his eyes.

"I mean, just imagine the complete shit-storm if that got into the media!" Roxanne continued.

"That is true," Megamind rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "And I happen to know there are no fewer than two hidden security cameras in this room. It would certainly be headline-making news in this city! _FBI Agent Disciplined Following Racist Remarks Against City's Defender_. I may be a _thing_ to you," he added to Agent Rickard. "But to most of the people in the city I now protect, I am a person and I am a hero. Public opinion is firmly in my favor."

Rickard seemed to be recovering quickly. "I guess nobody had better tell the media, then!" he snarled.

"Oh, it's too late for that, I'm afraid," Megamind's grin was razor-sharp. "Agent Rickard, I'd like you to meet Miss Roxanne Ritchi, star reporter for KMCP News."

"Nice to meet you," Roxanne stuck out her hand.

Rickard didn't take it. "Fuck!" he nearly shouted, eyes boggling. "That was NOT a command!" he added frantically as Megamind shrugged and reached for Roxanne. He returned his attention to Simmons, who had gone board-stiff in an effort to keep a straight face. "You! You knew! You knew and you didn't warn me!"

Simmon's voice was admirably calm as he said: "you didn't give me a chance. The video will bear that out."

"I'm confiscating that footage!"

"In connection with what crime?" asked Megamind.

"In connection with— with— Shit!"

"Indeed," Megamind said, coolly amused. "Luckily for you, I am not a thing. I am not an inferior creature, ruled by instinct. While I can hold a grudge with the best of them, I am capable of controlling such base impulses— especially when I have far more pressing matters to worry about, such as catching an assassin. So, if you can agree to a few minor things, I see no reason why we can't civilly work together toward our common goal."

"Blackmail?! Really?!"

"No, no, no… Hero, remember?" Megamind gestured to himself. "Blackmail entails extortion, and I am not asking for money or political favors… I only want you to work with me, not against me, and to remember three simple things while you do," he held up a black-gloved finger. "One, I am a person, not a thing, and I demand to be treated as such," another finger joined the first. "Two, I am the Defender of Metrocity— you know, the reason why crime rates here remain famously low?— so I don't fall into the hierarchy of law enforcement. That means you do not get to pull rank on me." He lifted another finger. "Three, I have an IQ of 372, a huge intelligence network, and a personal knowledge of Eric Nelson, also known as Ares. In fact, I am closer to catching him than anyone ever has been since his first arrest. You ignore my insight at your own peril."

"And you'll make sure the footage disappears?"

"No one who has not already witnessed the incident in this room will ever even know it happened."

Rickard glared at him. "Alright. I admit it. 'Thing' was a shitty thing to say and I shouldn't have said it. But let's make something clear: I may have to let you work on this one, but I don't have to like you. I don't have to like letting an egomaniac in a leotard screw around with my cases, and I don't have to like having a loose cannon on my hands. So, you're on the case. I won't block you, but I'm not your buddy either. You stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours."

"You're right," Megamind shrugged. "You don't have to like me. You don't even have to agree with me. But you do need to work with me. I can help you—"

"Just stay the fuck out of my way!" Rickard repeated with a growl, and, pushing past to the door, he stormed out.

They waited until his footsteps faded down the hall before Megamind closed the door again.

"And that, Simmons," he said with a bow and a flourish, "is how you do it."

"Blue," Simmons was chuckling and shaking his head helplessly. "When this case is over, I owe you both a drink. Hell, I owe each of you a whole damn bottle!"

Megamind laughed. "I'm going to remember that," he warned with good humor.

"A shame he wouldn't agree to work with you, though."

"I didn't really expect him to. That was just basic diplomacy: take two steps forward and one step back. I got what I wanted, but he thinks we each won a point, which will make him less likely to directly undermine me for the sake of his injured pride."

"Rickard will shit bricks if he ever finds out there are no security cameras in here."

"Actually…" with dramatic flair, Megamind pressed in the hour stem on his watch, turning off the new invisibility shields on the two brainbots. "Ta-da! I always have a backup plan, and a backup plan for my backup plan!"

"Damn, Blue, that's— Wait, you don't film all our conversations, do you?"

"Of course not! You I trust, but judging by your voice on the phone, I surmised something was wrong."

"Well, I've got to admit I'm glad you did!"

"Do you want me to make you a second copy of the footage?"

"You're making a copy?" Simmons was instantly serious. "You notice something I didn't, Blue? Think we're going to need something to hold over him?"

"Oh, no, no, I just want a copy for posterity!" Megamind turned toward Roxanne. "'His pride and my joy!' Brilliant!" he laughed. "You realize, Miss Ritchi, that you are never going to live that down?"

She thought about the way Megamind had once been driven to bitterness, despair, and finally villainy by unfair biases and ostracization. She considered the way he had once felt like he and Minion stood alone against the world. Compared with that his plan for dealing with Rickard— positive, constructive, even humorous— was a testament to how much his emotional state had improved, and a part of the reason, she realized with shocked delight, was because she stood with him, accepting and supporting him. Minion was a faithful friend, but when you got down to it, he was just as alien and just as much an outsider as Megamind himself. All Megamind had ever really needed was someone who represented the local populace— someone ordinary and human— to see the good man beneath all the black leather and bravado. It struck her that her openness about their intimacy had been a reminder that there would always be someone other than his henchfish who was unashamed to be on his side.

"Totally worth it," she assured him, a smile stretching her lips.


	15. Daylight and Dark Chapter 15 - A New Plan

Minion was repairing a body panel on the new hoverbike when Roxanne and Megamind made their way into the workroom the next morning. (Roxanne's latest flying lesson hadn't exactly been a success, and the small aircraft was worse for the wear. At least Megamind had grabbed her onto his own hoverbike just before the crash, or she might have had a few dents herself.)

"No news from the brainbots yet, sir," the fish was saying as his master settled down to review footage on the monitors. "The good news is that in an hour or two, we should be ready for final calibrations and a new flight test," he added, motioning to his task.

"Excellent work, Minion!"

"What do we do in the meantime?" Roxanne asked.

Megamind sighed. "This, unfortunately, is the most infuriating part of the job. We wait for police inquiries or the brainbots to turn something up."

"That's it? We just wait? It's been two days already! You know how important the first forty-two hours after an abduction are!"

The knowledge that the little girl, Olivia, might already be injured or worse by now hung unspoken between them.

Megamind sighed and rubbed his bald head. "I know. I'm afraid there's nothing else we can do. Without a lead on Ares' location and target, I have no way to plan my next move."

Roxanne was silent for a moment. "We could try to draw him out," she said slowly.

"How?"

"Well, he wants to hurt me, right?"

Megamind's look told her he didn't like the direction she was taking, but he motioned for her to continue.

"What if I called work, and arranged to do a report somewhere? Something that would require me to be onsite for a while. You could hide nearby and—"

"Absolutely not. We are not using you as bait."

"Megamind—"

"No. Roxanne, I'm going to be honest: this is one of those rare issues on which I _will_ push. I don't want to be a party to putting you in that kind of danger. Please," he added when she opened her mouth to argue. "What if something happened to you? Don't make me live with that."

"We have to do something!" she protested.

"I know, but… Not that. Please. Not unless we exhaust all other options. Give our sources and scouts a chance to find something first."

"You used me as bait for Metro Man all the time!"

"Metro Man didn't want to _kill_ you."

She took a deep breath. "Okay, okay, but I hate being stuck here doing nothing."

"I understand, Sweetheart. Believe me. But I don't have any superpowers. I don't have invulnerability. What I do have is an immense intellect, and a gift for engineering both new technology and well-laid plans. I have to play to those strengths if I want to succeed, which means I don't have the option of running into a fight on pure emotion and hoping for the best. This is frustrating; I know it is, but it's what we have to do right now."

She hugged him. "You're right. You are, but—"

"I know," he said again, smiling in gentle empathy, and leaned his forehead against hers. "Me too, Roxanne. Me too."

She let herself soak in his presence for a moment. "Megamind?"

"Yes?"

"There is one source we haven't tapped yet. Do you mind if I give Andro a call?"

He kissed the top of her head. "I think that's a fantastic idea." He paused. "In fact, it's a brilliant idea— or half of one!" He whistled around his fingers and several brainbots flew to him. "You there," he pointed at one. "Prepare to make an audio recording!"

* * *

"So..." Andro was saying from a monitor ten minutes later, once Megamind had explained his plan. "You want to record Roxie and I talking?"

"Yes."

"And then play it back using some sort of new electronic thingy?"

"Yes!"

"So that this Scary-Ares guy thinks Roxanne is somewhere she's not and shows up?"

" _Yes!_ " Megamind made a dramatic gesture. "Really, what part of this didn't you understand the first time?"

"The part about how this fake conversation is going to be traceable if it's just a recording," answered Andro with slight annoyance.

"Oh, that. I'm going to ping it off of cellphone towers and satellites to create false coordinates, of course! I thought that was obvious!"

"We can't all be geniuses," Andro's warning tone was ruined by his sneaking grin. "Okay, great plan, but I want to be sure: are you planning to ping it off of my cell phone too?"

"No, no, I'll use a brainbot. That will minimize your risk. I wouldn't want Roxanne angry with me."

"She is pretty terrifying when she's angry."

"Hey!" Roxanne protested. "I'm right here!"

"Like, complete nightmare fuel," Andro grinned at his friend from the screen. "I would say: 'I am so glad you care,' but I know you. You wanted to play mousetrap in person, didn't you?"

Roxanne made a noise in her throat. "Of course I care! And why is everyone making such a big deal out of this?"

"Uh-huh," Andro looked back at Megamind. "Just so you know, Big M, she's got a seriously under-developed sense of self-preservation."

"Andro!"

"I'm aware."

"MEGAMIND!"

"Oooh! There's Nightmare Roxie!" laughed Andro. "And don't give me that look! It's true, Chica! I remember that time when you were covering the Bakker Lake murders in '08, and—"

"Ugh, I had to get the story, Andro!"

"By going out into the woods by yourself with nothing but a digital camera and a flashlight? When they'd literally found the last victim _still warm_?" Andro looked back at Megamind. "Serious. Lack. Of self-preservation."

Roxanne crossed her arms. "Well, you know, maybe if I could have found something they would have actually caught the murderer!"

"Oh, he was caught, alright," Megamind assured her darkly.

Everything went still for a moment. "Roxie," Andro said at last. "Did your boyfriend just admit to killing the Bakker Lake Slayer?"

"Kill?" Megamind asked, all false innocence. "I never said ' _kill_.'"

"Okay, yeah, but he was never in police custody, so..." Andro let the statement hang in the air.

"I admit nothing," Megamind smiled like a hungry shark. "But if I had, I wouldn't regret it after what happened to that family."

"Huh," Andro touched his chin. "So even as a supervillain, you were a crusader for good." It wasn't a question.

Megamind rolled his eyes. "Crusader is too strong a word. And honestly, did you think _Metro Man_ ," he said the name with derision, "was the one keeping crime rates in this city down? In case you never noticed, he only showed up when there was a chance to show off."

Roxanne gave her lover a warm smile. "Megamind has always been a good guy deep down."

"I was not! I was terrifyingly evil!"

"Megamind, you didn't even scare _me_."

"I wasn't trying to scare you. I was trying to impress you because, well…" Megamind cleared his throat. "Anyway, just because my abductions of you were always games, Miss Ritchi, does not mean I can't be," his tone deepened and his smile took on a predatory edge, "truly and genuinely scary when the need arises."

A thrill ran through Roxanne, gathering like throbbing heat in her core.

"Oh, really?" she quirked a wry eyebrow. "I'd like to see that/"

Megamind turned toward her and quirked a dangerously suggestive eyebrow. "Be careful what you wish for."

The throbbing low in Roxanne's body grew hotter, more insistent. Of course, she'd always gotten a delicious thrill out of waking up with her hands bound, Megamind facing her, and she'd always enjoyed flirting with him in those situations, but this was far more intense. The idea of Megamind being "truly and genuinely scary" was shockingly appealing.

"I do. Wish for that." At her lover's slightly dangerous look, she teased: "Unless you don't think you can really scare me?"

"Oh, I can," he assured her, smile sharp, green eyes glimmering.

"Mmm," she leaned in a little to whisper pointedly. "Prove it."

His voice dripped warm, dark honey as he leaned close and rumbled: "that can be arranged, Miss Ritchi."

"Uh, do you two need to get a room?" Andro asked.

Megamind looked over Roxanne's head at her friend's image. "Apologies." He motioned over the waiting brainbot. "Avoid naming any dates or days of the week. It may take a couple of days to design, produce, and test the new device. Don't argue, Sweetheart, I'll complete it as fast as I can, but it has to be done right. This is our chance, and we can't risk losing it because of a malfunction. I'll begin work immediately. Oh, I want you to mention that I'm hiding you in a place in the woods, and give these coordinates," he scribbled something on a piece of paper. "Tell Andro you need him to bring you some personal items or something. Don't mention any other specific locations. I don't want Ares to get any ideas. And Miss Ritchi?" his voice descended back into that toe-curling rumble. "Full disclosure: I intend to invade your privacy." He whirled, cloak swinging, and headed for the workroom. "Ciao!" He called, suddenly playful, as if his previous comment had been a dream.

"God, Roxie," Andro was wide-eyed. "Does he have a brother?"

"Um, no, I think... As far as we know, he is actually the last of his entire species."

"That is so painfully tragic in so many more ways than one."

"I know." Roxanne pushed a lock of hair back from her eyes. Focus. She had to focus. "We have a job to do." She looked at the brainbot and said: "You can start recording now," before turning back to Andro. "Roxanne Ritchi," she gave the greeting a quarter-turn of question.

Quick on the uptake, Andro instantly played along. "Holy shit, Roxie! You finally picked up your phone! Do you know how many messages I've left you?!"


	16. Daylight and Dark Chapter 16 - The Master of All Villainy

God, it had been a long day. After her conversation with Andro, Roxanne had helped Minion analyze brainbot footage, taken notes on any incoming reports, and had her next (sightly less disastrous) lesson in flying the new hoverbike. When Megamind had said he was taking a break from creating his new device, Roxanne had hoped maybe they would have a little relaxation. She'd been wrong. Instead, he'd taken her to an indoor range in part of the Lair's massive basement and started teaching her how to fire the De-Gun.

"If you can learn to use it properly," he'd promised, "I'll make you one of your own."

The small weapon had kicked more than she'd expected, although in a completely different way than a regular firearm, and her first several shots had gone wild. Only the fact that her Uncle Edward had taught her how to shoot when she was a teen, and taken her on a couple of hunting trips, kept her from making a complete fool of herself. At least she'd known the basic safety protocols, and could vaguely guess at the adjustments needed in her stance. Megamind had patiently instructed her, of course, but his gentle assurances that she was "really doing well" and that the De-Gun was "difficult to adjust to" were belied by the fact that he'd made it look so _easy_.

After about twenty humiliating minutes she'd finally managed to start hitting the targets. Megamind had only allowed her to use the dehydration setting for obvious safety reasons, and it would have been hard to tell exactly where she'd hit if he hadn't also assigned a brainbot to film her attempts and replay the footage in slow motion. It was frustrating. True, she'd managed to turn each target into a small blue cube, but the playback revealed she was hitting nowhere near the painted bullseyes. She'd forgotten how sore firing a gun for an hour could make her arms, and was pathetically grateful when the random selection of crates, cans, and rusted manufacturing debris at the far end of the range had, at last, all been reduced to a bevy of glowing squares.

After that had come dinner and, blessedly, a hot shower. Now, wrapped in a thick towel— black, of course— Roxanne stepped from the steam-shrouded bathroom into her own quarters feeling as if life might just be worth living again.

The bathroom door slammed shut behind her. She spun, brain instantly buzzing with alertness, heart jumping in her chest.

Megamind was facing her, one hand pressed against the door to block her escape, the other hidden behind his back. His stance was relaxed, almost casual, but his eyes locked on her with the intense interest of a cat stalking a mouse.

"You have kept me waiting, Miss Ritchi," he purred. His voice was a silken menace, his slow smile sharp enough to die upon. "I do not like to be kept waiting."

_Oh, God, yes..._

Weariness forgotten, pulse racing, Roxanne felt things low in her body tighten at the sight of him, dangerous and sensual. She'd asked to see this side of him, and clearly he did not mean to disappoint.

"Well?" Megamind leaned against the door, arms crossed, something clutched in his right hand. He arched one eyebrow in a way that spoke of perilous expectation and impatient disdain. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Her brain seemed to have lost the capacity to form words. Some part of it clung onto enough vague function to recognize that this was what he'd meant by "invading her privacy." True to his word, he'd given her the chance to object.

Megamind was slowly studying her like he meant to eat her alive, gaze roving up her body with such intensity that she could almost _feel_ its physical weight. He partially opened his hand, letting a thin rope that looked as soft as it did strong dangle from his fingers. The blue man stalked closer, graceful as a panther, predatory promise in his eyes. "Do you have any idea," he rumbled darkly, "what I do to pretty young women who disappoint me?" He snapped the chord taut between his fists and moved nearer still.

Swallowing her pulse back down to where it belonged, Roxanne finally found her voice. "You don't scare me," she managed. Quite the opposite— her whole body ached for him!— but she was eager to play his game.

She thought she'd heard his evil laugh before, but what he did now… It shook things deep in her body.

Stepping closer, he moved in until she could feel his warmth, invading her personal space while still radiating suave intimidation. Despite her desire, Roxanne's body took an automatic step back.

"I don't scare you?" With a dark chuckle, Megamind lifted a mocking brow. That wolfish grin widened. "Not yet, Miss Ritchi. Not. Yet."

There was a blue and black blur, and Roxanne abruptly found herself pushed back into her office chair, trapped by his solid warmth, silken cord tightening around her wrists. She had known he was fast— had seen him dodge flying objects, bullets, and even lasers— but the suddenness of it startled a yelp from her.

"Oh, yes," his voice was a low hum against her ear. "That's more like it." God, his evil laugh was even more overwhelming when she could feel it vibrating along her body.

"But," he added, tangling one hand in her hair, just tight enough to tug without pain, and pulling her head back to look at him, "I'm not _entirely_ without mercy. Not quite. I will give you a chance. You can endure until you have learned your lesson, or until you can take no more. If something I do proves… too much, simply say Code Red, and I will accept your surrender."

A safe word. He'd just given her a safe word. Was this something he'd done before or had he learned it during his "research?"

"Now," he let go of her hair suddenly. With one hand, Megamind tilted her chair back as much as the desk behind it would allow. His eyes devoured her while his free hand traced her cheek and neck with teasing gentleness. "Don't bother calling for rescue," his palm pressed briefly and gently over her throat. "You can scream all you wish, Miss Ritchi," he quoted deliberately, fingers trailing over her shoulder, along her collar bone. "I'm afraid no one can hear you." With a violent jerk, her towel was torn away. Megamind leaned in close, hand sliding lower to cup one breast, breath tickling her neck as he purred: "And I _will_ make you scream."

He claimed her lips with nearly bruising passion. She ached to touch him, to wrap her arms around him and run her nails along the back of his head, yet there was something so erotic about being completely at his mercy. And Megamind seemed determined to make the most of her restraint. He kissed and nipped along her jaw, up her ear, back down her neck, and across her collar bone. Roxanne was breathless by the time his mouth finally found her left nipple and latched on, sucking and licking and biting until she was whimpering for more. The former villain hadn't tied her legs, and she wrapped them around him, trying to rub the hard bulge in his tight pants against her aching core.

"Ah-ah-ah," Megamind admonished, pulling away to thwart her. "I'm not done teasing yet."

He lowered his head to the opposite breast and lavished attention upon it, making her squirm and shiver, before he began kissing his way down her soft stomach.

"Megamind!" she gasped. "Oh, God, yes, Megamind! Please!"

The blue hero growled in his throat and kissed his way along her lower stomach to bite her hip bone, wringing a moan from his lover but still denying her what she most needed. His gentle teeth and goatee tickled down her upper leg, scraped across her knee— who knew that could feel so good?!— and finally teased their way up the sensitive flesh of her inner thigh.

"Yes! Yes! Please!" Roxanne begged, lifting her hips as he neared the promised land. But her lover only rumbled an evil laugh against her skin and moved to give her other thigh the same attention. Roxanne was nearly sobbing with need when she finally felt his hot breath against her core.

Then he stopped.

"Do you want it?" he purred, his lips close enough to just barely brush her hot skin.

"Yes! God, yes!"

Her lover rolled burning green eyes up to meet hers. "Beg," he commanded.

"Please, Megamind! Please!"

"Please what?"

"Please! Please lick me, taste me! Eat me out!"

The blue man used his nose to part her nether lips and took a moment to rub his goatee against her most sensitive spot, making her hips jump. He hummed against her as his mouth at last found it's target, the vibration making her tremble. He sucked her clit, tongue flicking over the sensitive bundle, while his hand moved down to press two crooked fingers against her g-spot. Roxanne's head fell back as he built a rhythm between lips, fingers, tongue, and teeth. His voice rumbled deeply against her again, the vibration adding a new layer of exquisite pleasure until she was thrashing against her bonds and the weight of his body, the back of her chair knocking against the desk. He brought her to orgasm but refused to slow or let up, driving her relentlessly to one peak after another until lights flashed behind her eyes and her voice grew hoarse with screaming.

With one last kiss against her throbbing core, Megamind finally pulled away, leaving his lover boneless and gasping. She heard the sound of a zipper, the slide of leather against skin, and then he was leaning over her, his bare flesh warm against hers, his hands braced on the desk to steady them, his rock hard erection pressed against her opening.

"Please Megamind... I promise I'll be a good girl." she gasped.

He hesitated for just a moment, waiting to see if she'd use the safe word. When she didn't, a grin of pure wickedness spread across his face, and, with one brutal thrust of his hips, buried himself deep inside her.

"You," he drew out and pushed deep again. "Do not..." he slammed back in. "Get to ask… for mercy! You… Are… Being… PUNISHED!" Every word was accented by another savage thrust, wringing cries of ecstasy from her lips. He pulled her legs up higher and adjusted his position to hit her g-spot each time he ploughed into her, swayed and twisted his hips to rub his textured cock against her as he hammered her into the chair.

"Yes! Yes! Megamind! Fuck me! Oh, God, fuck me!"

"I was… Under the impression… That was… Exactly… What I was doing… But if there… Is any doubt… I had better... fuck… HARDER!"

He jerked her legs up over his shoulders so suddenly that he almost toppled them. Grabbing the chair for leverage, he slammed into her with inhuman speed and nearly violent passion. Every nerve in her body was singing for him. Lightning was flashing across her vision until the pleasure building within her finally crashed over her with the force of a tsunami. The world faded into a pool of brilliant white light as Roxanne spasmed and wailed, losing herself in soul-shattering ecstasy.

Blackness resolved into a gray-patina world. Color reasserted itself as her vision slowly cleared. There was something soft and smooth beneath her, and the slight, warm weight of fabric enveloped her. Her head was nestled into feathered pillows. How had she gotten into the bed?

"Sweetheart? How do you feel?"

Megamind's warm voice turned Roxanne's gaze toward her lover. He was stretch beside her, propped on one elbow, watching her intently.

"What… happened?" her voice was rough with overuse.

"Here, Love, drink some water. You passed out."

"I _what_?"

"After that last orgasm. You passed out."

Wow. Just _wow_.

Roxanne gulped some water from the glass he'd offered. "I didn't even know that was possible."

"Apparently it is." He was trying to show concern, but he was clearly excessively proud of himself.

Her mind finally beginning to function again, the woman looked up at her blue lover. "What about you? Did you finish?"

He looked a little sheepish. "Around the same time you did. I didn't realize until afterward that you were..." he gestured. "I'm sorry."

" _Sorry?_ " she stared at him. "Megamind, you just made me cum so hard that I literally passed out, and you're _apologizing_?" She shook her head. "Listen, after the," she offered a saucy grin, "wonderful, wicked things you did for me, I would have been upset if you _hadn't_ gotten off. You," she trailed a hand along his chest. "needed a good, hard orgasm. You definitely earned it."

He lowered his head and purred against her neck as he pressed a kiss below her ear.

"Well, then, Miss Ritchi, you will be happy to know that that was unquestionably the most intense orgasm of my entire life."

"Mmm. I'm glad," she snuggled closer to him, and he lay back to let her nestle into the crook of his arm. "Because I am going to need a lot of repeat performances."

His chuckle rumbled under her ear. "I can certainly oblige. But not tonight."

"Not tonight," she agreed with a yawn. "Sleep now, sex later."

The last thing she remembered was his arms wrapping around her back while he chuckled again.

* * *

Roxanne's phone alarm went off at six AM sharp, and she groaned. Beside her, Megamind stirred and wrapped his arms tighter across her middle.

"Press snooze," he nuzzled just below her ear. "Ten more minutes. Let me hold you ten more minutes."

Well, what else could she do? "Does the Evil Overlord command it?" she teased, snaking one arm behind him to stroke the back of his head.

"Mmmm. Unequivocally." He snuggled closer.

When the alarm sounded the second time, he sighed and, with an oddly reluctant stretch, sat up.

"Much though I would like nothing better than to spend the morning here with you," he said, "we do have other matters to deal with."

"I know," she cuddled against him and laid her head in his lap. He made a sound of half-hearted protest, but his hand moved to stroke her hair.

"I'll let you up under one condition," Roxanne continued.

"And what is that?"

"Promise to kidnap me like that again soon?"

His chuckle thrummed in his chest. "Still haven't learned your lesson, hmmm?"

"Not even slightly."

"Ah, well, we certainly will have to do something about that. But not now," he patted her hip. "I'm afraid right now we have to at least pretend to be responsible adults."

"Stupid adulting."

He laughed again. "Indeed."

* * *

Minion, thank God, had made coffee, so Roxanne was at least feeling more awake by the time the day's training began, even if the euphoric high of what was undoubtedly the best sex of her life hadn't faded yet.

Perhaps because the pleasure Megamind had provided last night had been phenomenal even by his impressive standards, Roxanne couldn't seem to keep her mind from wandering back to the heated memory. She had never realized that even the best sex could be that intense and awe-inspiring, could take her to a place beyond ecstasy, turning the world into white light. Roxanne had always been turned on by the idea of bondage but had never realized how good it could feel to relinquish self-control, abandon all doubts, and place herself with full, unconditional confidence into a lover's care. But then, she supposed, she had never before trusted someone enough for that. Megamind had certainly proved himself up to the challenge, and her final orgasm had hit her like a religious experience. The sexual rapture that resulted had been new, utterly amazing, and, like an addiction, now led to a greater craving.

Roxanne shook her head to clear it. It was immensely difficult to concentrate on her lover's instructions when the instinctive part of her brain kept trying to focus on the way Megamind's oddly elastic muscles stretched and moved under his skin– familiar yet slightly inhuman– or the way his blue tone took on a lavender-rose flush around his cheeks when he grew hot with exertion.

"Roxanne, I love it when you look at me that way, but I really, really need you to concentrate."

Blushing hot crimson, she realized she'd been staring again.

"Sorry, I–"

"Don't apologize," he said gently. "Not for that. Every time I see that expression on your face, it's like a small miracle," he draped his arms loosely around her. "But I want to keep seeing that look for years to come, and that means keeping you safe."

She nodded. "I know. I… I'll try harder."

And her stupid brain immediately went all sorts of inappropriate directions with the word 'harder.' Damn it, she'd never had this kind of trouble with other men she'd dated. What was wrong with her?

Megamind was watching her, his head ducked to better see her face, his mouth crooked to one side. "You're hopeless."

She blushed again.

"Alright," he turned, one arm tightening around her waist to press her into his side for a moment, then lifting his opposite wrist to his mouth and releasing his lover for long enough to activate the communication device on the holowatch. "Minion, Code: can you cover everything for an extra half-hour today?"

"Code: you've got it, Boss!"

Turning his emerald gaze back to her, Megamind studied her face for a moment, one hand delicately cupping the side of her neck while the other slide to her waist. Then he leaned in and kissed her, slowly and deeply. He pressed her gently backward, and she responded to the wordless request. They both sank slowly to the mat, arms and tongues intertwined.

* * *

"Feeling better?" Megamind gasped nearly forty minutes later. They were still tangled together, heat-flushed and sweat-soaked, their bare skin pressed close.

"Yes," she managed. "So much."

"Think you can pay attention now?"

"I think so, yes."

"Good," smiling, he kissed her one more time, just a peck on the lips, then rolled off of her. Standing up, he offered her his hand and pulled her to her feet. "Get your things back on and we'll try again. This time I want you to remember: the point is to use your opponent's strength, not yours, and for that to work, they need to be off-balance first…"

Two hours later, Megamind finally called an end to training, and Roxanne nearly wilted with relief. This move had been difficult because doing it properly meant inflicting pain. The first step was easy— sweeping her hands up under her chin to prevent his choke-hold— but afterward, she had to slam her foot down on his insole, knock his arm aside, and ram her elbow back into his stomach. Causing that momentary pain and distraction was key. Otherwise, when she reversed her weight, threw it forward, and jerked his arm hard over her shoulder, she'd only succeed in hurting herself rather than flipping him. He'd explained that several times, but she still hated the idea of injuring him.

"Sweetheart," he'd admonished. "I spent years being thrown around by Metro Man. Please believe me, you're not going to do any real damage."

With a deep breath, she'd finally done what he said, and the next moment he was lying on his back in front of her wheezing.

"I'm so sorry, Megamind! Are you okay?"

He was laughing, although breathlessly. "Great! That was great! I _wanted_ you to throw me! That's the entire point! Now," he leaped up with an effortless grace she envied. "Let's do it a few more times, then we'll go back over what I taught you yesterday."


	17. Daylight and Dark Chapter 17 - The Cabin in the Woods

A day later, after yet another grueling training session and relieving hot shower, Roxanne came downstairs to find Megamind in the workroom monitoring the patrols while he put the finishing touches on their trap for Ares. Nightwish blasted from the nearby stereo.

"It's almost time to spring our little surprise; another half-hour should do it," the blue hero promised. "We'll set our sting tonight. I've called Simmons to have backup on standby."

Roxanne nodded and breathed deep. It was both exciting and frightening. Strangely, it was also a little sad. If Ares went to jail tonight, she would have no reason not to move back into her apartment tomorrow.

A little voice in her head whispered that she didn't have to. Not really.

The thought both elated and scared her. What would he say if she changed her mind? Would he be happy, or would it seem like she was inviting herself to take over his space? What if he had really only wanted her here because of Ares? Would asking to stay make things weird? Was she even completely sure it was what she wanted? Roxanne sighed inwardly. She didn't really have to make that choice right now… Maybe she could stay for just a few days more, and see how it went… or maybe just while Megamind was teaching her to fight. That would be so much easier than trying to get here before seven every morning, after all…

That same little voice snickered in her head. _Excuses, excuses_ …

With a determined thought, Roxanne pushed it away. She had more important things to worry about, like surviving an encounter with a notorious killer and saving a seven-year-old child. Her personal problems would just have to wait.

"Roxanne?"

"Oh. I heard you. Sorry… Just mentally preparing, I guess."

Megamind reached over to turn down the music volume and turned his chair to face her. "Are you afraid?"

"Yes, but I'm still going to help you."

He smiled. "Of course you are; you're one of the bravest people I know."

"Darling, I literally just told you I was scared."

With a nod, the hero returned to his project, long fingers deftly securing the last wires into place. He motioned, and a brainbot carefully deposited a hot soldering iron into his gloved hand.

"Do you read Mark Twain?" he asked as he worked.

"What? Sometimes, why?"

"'Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear,'" he quoted. "'Not the absence of fear. Except a creature be part coward it is not a compliment to say it is brave; it is merely a loose misapplication of the word.' Someone incapable of being afraid isn't brave, Roxanne, only imbecilic and self-destructive. You can't have courage without fear. They're like daylight and dark: one doesn't exist without the other."

"Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?" she smiled.

He turned away from his work again, leaning back in his hair to regard her, a grin playing about his mouth. "Hmm. I think I could stand to hear it a few more times."

She leaned down and kissed his large forehead. "I love you." She pressed another kiss against the hard ridge of his high cheekbone. "I love you." She kissed the tip of his nose, his chin, and finally his lips. "I love you, I love you, I love you."

His smile had grown gentle, and the tips of his ears were pink. "I love you too." He touched his lips to hers once more before turning back to his work. At the moment the TeleDecoy, as he was currently calling it, looked mostly like a collection of wires, microchips, and the insides of Roxanne's phone. She'd hesitated only a heartbeat when he'd said he needed it; after all, if she was willing to risk herself, she could certainly risk her phone. Still, she was a little embarrassed by how glad she felt when he assured her it would still work.

"I could use a spoofer of sorts," he admitted. "But I'm worried that might not work as well. I don't want to risk any oddity in the trace that might tip him off. Ares is no match for my intellect, but he isn't stupid. Besides, I'm adding a function to reverse the operation, hiding this phone from detection rather than inviting it. That way you'll have your own phone again. I'll show you how to use that function when I'm done."

"No more video calls on the giant monitors, huh?" she half-joked.

He threw a grin over his shoulder. "You may use the monitors whenever you like. When you return to work, however, you'll need a more mobile communication method."

"The monitors _would_ be a little difficult to carry," she laughed.

"I could make you a smaller wireless version, something handheld," he offered without looking up, hands busy at his work.

She hugged him from behind and smiled against his shoulder. "You're sweet, but that's not necessary."

"Hmmm," he hummed in agreement, then stilled suddenly, a distant look on his face that she knew well. "Maybe a compact mirror that functions as a communications device? Making the screen behave as a reflective surface when inactive without compromising the fidelity of the video image… Now that would be an interesting challenge! There are trick mirrors, of course, but they're always imperfect..."

"Megamind?"

"Yes?"

"Task at hand. New interesting problem later."

"Right," he seemed to pull himself back from somewhere far away. "Right, yes, of course."

* * *

"He's not coming," Roxanne whispered.

She was waiting with Megamind and Minion in the invisible car, watching an empty cabin north of town. Roxanne had been a little surprised that her lover even owned such a place until she learned it was used as a safe house for smugglers who brought some of his supplies.

"You mean it _used_ to be used by smugglers who _used_ to bring some of your supplies?" Roxanne asked when he'd explained.

He'd shrugged. "If I'm paying them well to smuggle in regulated materials and military-grade technological components, then they're not somewhere else smuggling worse things for worse people."

"I should probably argue with you, but that makes too much sense," she'd shaken her head. "What does that say about me?"

"That you're practical and smart enough to see the big picture."

"It's still illegal, though."

"Life isn't always black and white, Roxanne. Sometimes the best we can do is choose the lightest shade of gray we can find."

So here they were, shivering in a chilly car, watching a dark building in an even darker forest. It had been well over an hour already— nearly two— and there was still no sign of their quarry. Even in her coat, Roxanne was cold, her breath fogging the air. She glanced at Megamind again— silent, watchful— and reminded herself that she should try to be the same. It wasn't as if she'd never endured dreary discomfort while chasing a story. This was no different. Not really. Unless…

"What if he never traced the call?" she asked in a whisper.

"Oh, he traced it. At least someone did, and I can think of no one else who would have a reason."

She nodded. Trust Megamind to have coded some sort of detection software into the device.

"Sir," hissed Minion. "Look!"

Something bright was casting eerie shadows through the trees. Roxanne turned in her seat for a better look. The light was moving in an ungainly motion: big smooth curves and small, sharp bounces. There was something oddly familiar about it.

"That's a car," she hissed.

A few moments later, she could indeed make out the twin gleams of headlights jolting up the uneven road. They waited what seemed like a breathless eternity as a pickup truck turned, slowed, and pulled up in front of the cabin. In the glow of the truck's interior lights, she could see that the man who climbed out wore a khaki green button-down shirt, a darker green coat with a logo stitched on the shoulder, and what she thought of as a "Smokey the Bear hat." The lights faded out before she could discern any more.

"Oh, no," she breathed. "What's he doing here? What if Ares shows up while he's still around?"

The man had gotten out a small flashlight and was keeping it carefully low as he slowly edged along the building.

"No," Megamind whispered back. "Minion, get ready," he glanced meaningfully at Roxanne. "We're outside the limits of the official state park. There aren't any Park Rangers here." He pressed something hard into her hand. "This is the first Dehydration Gun I ever made. It only has the one setting. We've got MCPD backup in the woods, but they may not be able to get here fast enough. I want you to remain in the car until we need you. If Ares runs for the truck, shoot him. Don't think, just shoot. You're my best Plan B if Plan A goes awry, so keep the element of surprise as long as you can."

"Brainbots," he added into his watch. "Prepare the lights." He handed Minion a glowing blue cube and a bottle of water. "Remember the plan. If he breaks into the cabin, you blow the front door. I'll be waiting at the back when he runs," he clapped his friend's mechanical shoulder. "Be careful!"

"What, no big presentation?" Roxanne tried to make it a joke, but her voice shook a little.

"Oh, never fear. I'll give Ares a presentation he won't soon forget." He kissed her lightly. "I love you," then he was gone, his black clothing melding with the darkness. A moment later there was a blue light— Roxanne hoped it was hidden by the car's invisibility shield— and Minion, now an exact duplicate of his master, slipped away to circle the cabin in the other direction.

There were several breathless moments, and then, suddenly, the winter silence was split by the opening guitar riff of Judas Priest's Thunder Road. The darkness burst into blinding brilliance as scores of brainbots activated lights above the clearing. Exposed, Ares cringed at the corner of the cabin. Roxanne was pleased to see his right hand was still bandaged.

Megamind's voice boomed, echoing among the trees. "You dare to move against Megamind? In my own territory?" With a roar, the hoverbike appeared over the roof, carrying the dark hero. "Prepare to meet your doom!"

Ares had recovered quickly, and Roxanne noted disconcertingly that he didn't seem impressed.

"You've become a clown!" she heard him shout. "No more than another fool in a cape!"

Megamind dived at him, and Ares sprang to the side. The man suddenly held a pistol— the injured hand didn't seem to slow him down— and there were two loud pops as he fired. Megamind swerved to the side. Ares shifted aim, but Megamind had his own weapon out now, and his foe flung himself away to avoid a blast of blue light.

Flung himself away and directly into the path of… Megamind. That startled even Ares, and Roxanne saw him hesitate for the slightest moment before aiming at the nearest threat.

That moment was all Megamind— or was this one Minion?— needed to knock his opponent's arm wide and land a cracking punch on his jaw. (No, Roxanne decided, this one was definitely the real Megamind.) Ares' head snapped to the side, but he spun with the movement, keeping his balance and firing. Megamind swung a fist at Ares even as he dove in a blur. There was a splash of red. Roxanne screamed. She was running before she even realized she'd left the car; nothing mattered but reaching her lover's side.

With a roar, the hoverbike sped for Ares. Another blast of blue light. But Ares was too fast and hit the ground, the machine screaming over his head. He rolled, took aim, and Roxanne had a split second to see the muzzle of his pistol pointed directly at her like the empty eye of death…

A black boot stomped down on Ares' wrist. The man snarled in pain. Quick as a viper, he twisted, grabbed his assailant's ankle, and threw himself onto his back. Megamind crashed against the wooden wall. Minion spun the hoverbike for a new attack. Ares rolled again, recovered his pistol, and aimed point-blank at Megamind's head.

With a shriek of primal rage, Roxanne aimed the Dehydration Gun. She had only a split second… Ares was fast… He would dodge… She knew that… But if she missed Megamind would…. No! _No_! That was not an option!

In the blink of an eye, she shifted her aim slightly. There was a flash of blue light a half-second before a bullet cracked into the wooden wall. Ares was left staring dumbfounded at empty space, a small blue cube unnoticed at his feet. It was enough to throw even the assassin off for a moment before he spun to face her, rage distorting every line in his face.

Brainbots swarmed downward, breaking formation to come to the rescue, but they blocked Minion's path as he tried to take aim. Insect-like metallic arms grabbed Roxanne under the shoulders and catapulted her upward into the sky.

"Wait!" she shouted, eyes fixed on the tiny blue cube far below. It was a mistake. Ares instantly turned around, following her line of sight. He was too late. A brainbot had grabbed the cube and nearly knocked Ares off his feet as it sped away.

Shouts rang through the trees. "Police! Freeze! Drop your weapon!"

They were too far with too many obstacles in the way, and Ares knew it. Megamind had been right: clearly their enemy trusted that the officers would err on the side of caution and not immediately open fire. He sprinted for the truck, threw it into gear, and gunned the engine, swerving dangerously and nearly hitting one of the cops who dashed out from the trees. The man was jerked out of the way by two brainbots just in time. Shots finally rang out, but they were too late. Ares sped away at reckless speed, throwing a rain of gravel and dust in his wake.

Roxanne wanted to scream and cry in frustration, but she gritted her teeth and pushed the emotions down. Minion was landing the hoverbike, the brainbot carrying Megamind hovering near him.

"Put me down," Roxanne ordered her own team of cyborgs. They ignored her, and she growled under her breath. What would Megamind say? A memory rose of him in the workroom… " _Bring Daddy a 5/16 spanner…_ "

She glared at the brainbots. "Seriously?" They regarded her with glowing red camera eyes, and she sighed in resignation. "Put Mommy down," she said.

They obeyed, and she ran over to Megamind, who had just been re-hydrated by Minion.

She flung herself into his arms, and then immediately jumped back. "Oh, God, I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?!"

"Wha– No, no. I'm fine." He pulled her close again.

"But I saw blood," her voice was trembling. _I will not cry in front of half the MCPD_ , she demanded silently of herself. _I will not cry. Not here. Not now._

"It wasn't mine," Megamind said.

Roxanne's throat was tight, and she had to dig her nails into her palms to keep control. "I thought— oh, God!— I thought you'd been shot!"

"I was, but I'm fine."

" _WHAT_?!"

"The suit. Better than Kevlar, remember?" he squeezed her tighter. "I'll be bruised in the morning, but nothing more. Everything is okay."

"Everything is NOT okay!" The panic of the fight was starting to catch up with her. _Deep breaths_ , she reminded herself. _Deep breaths_ … "I… I let him get away! I'm so sorry! I screwed up again!"

"Roxanne, Sweetheart, how many of my past plans were… not exactly resounding successes?"

"Most of those failed on purpose and you know it!" she buried her face against his neck.

"Do you know what a successful person is, Roxanne? It's someone who fails one-thousand times, and tries one-thousand and one."

"We don't have time for one-thousand tries!"

"Then you'll be happy to know this one didn't completely fail. Plan C worked."

"Plan C?"

"Always have a backup plan, and a backup plan for the backup plan," he moved away enough to show her one of his hands. "New gauntlets."

"One of the spikes is— Oh..." she realized that the metal of what she'd assumed to be a broken spike had, in fact, been removed in a clean circle, displaying a tiny hollow. It hadn't been damaged, it had been discharged. "What was in there?" she asked.

"You truly are the smartest person I know," he smiled. "It contained a nano tracking device, one that is currently inside of Ares' body. Even if he realizes it's there, it will be impossible to remove without surgery. Maybe we didn't catch him, but now we can find him, and Olivia."

"You," Roxanne said, slipping one of her hands into her lover's. "You are ridiculously brilliant, do you know that?"

Megamind's cheeks flushed lavender-pink.

Beside them, Minion, his disguise deactivated, was shifting uncomfortably, eyeing the officers as several of them approached. After years of prison life, he clearly had a distrust for law enforcement.

His stance turned even stiffer when they heard a voice Roxanne recognized all too well.

"What the Hell was that?" it demanded.

Megamind's jaw tightened for a single second, then Roxanne saw him smooth his features into insolent blandness before he turned around.

"Agent Rickard. So nice of you to join us."

"Nice little circus performance. Too bad you let the suspect escape!"

"I didn't see you stopping him either. And at least I found him. Led you right to him, actually."

"Don't try to pin this on me!"

Minion's eyes were narrowed, and his fins were thrashing angrily. He hadn't met Rickard before, but Roxanne was willing to bet that he'd seen the live footage of their first encounter. His mechanical fingers balled into fists, and Megamind made a subtle gesture with one hand.

Minion clearly received the message. His fingers uncurled. "I'll take the hoverbike home, shall I, Sir?" the aquatic sidekick suggested pointedly.

Megamind glanced up and nodded. "Do an areal sweep as you go. It's doubtful, with all the trees, but maybe we'll get lucky and you'll spot something useful."

"Yes, Sir!"

"We could have had him if you hadn't gotten in the way!" Rickard accused as Minion sped away

Enough was enough. "Really?" Roxanne said, her voice sickly sweet. "Oh, so you didn't accompany the local police here?"

"What? Of course I did!"

"Oh," she said, falsely innocent. "From what you said, I assumed you'd had your own lead. I mean, you sound as if you don't want Megamind around, but if he was the only reason you even knew Nelson would be here at all, then that can't be right, now can it?"

The agent looked furious.

"Excuse me, Defender?" a familiar officer approached.

"Officer Hanesley. How are you?"

"Honestly, I've been better. I tried to convince them we needed to move sooner. We let you down."

"A little more proactiveness would have been nice. But you were only following orders. Don't be too hard on yourself."

"Well, we're going to make it right, if we can. I just spoke to dispatch. We've set up traffic blocks on every road leading away from here. The perpetrator won't get far."

"Be sure you watch the river, too," the blue hero offered. "Perhaps Rickard here would like to help with that. He seems eager to do something useful."

"The river?!" Rickard looked like someone had just suggested he might want to dress in a banana suit and dance the Macarena.

"Yes," Megamind said in the same tone he might use to explain things to a toddler. "It's that big body of flowing water two miles east of us."

"He's in a fucking truck! You think he's going to, what? Float?! I've got important things to do!"

Megamind didn't respond, and the other man stormed away.

"You sure Nelson's going to make for the river, sir?" Hanesley asked.

"Nothing is certain, but it's likely enough that I want it covered."

"I'll let my superiors know," she sighed. "I just hope they actually listen."

"And that they have enough officers to spare," Megamind sighed in agreement. "You'll forgive me saying so, Officer Hanesley, but some of the Metro City Police top brass grew entirely too dependent on having a super-powered hero around. At least that fool Greer got retired Simmons got promoted to Chief of Police. Still, some of the lieutenants..." He hugged Roxanne close again and began rubbing his chin against her hair, a gesture that she suspected comforted him as much as her. "Well, all any of us can do now is our best. I suppose we'll see what happens."


	18. Daylight and Dark Chapter 18 - Never Forget Your Towel

Megamind helped Roxanne into the invisible car, where she shivered violently with more than the cold. Before taking the drivers' seat, he pulled off his winter cloak— leather, lined in black fur— and wrapped it around her. She buried her face in the soft texture, inhaling his scent, as he started the car and turned up the heater. They'd made it past the roadblock, startling several people when the car suddenly appeared long enough to be waved through, and were driving through the city toward home when Roxanne's strained self-control finally collapsed.

The tears burning at the back of her eyes began spilling over, and a sob clawed its way out of her tight throat. It was like the first crack in a dam, and within moments she was crumbling to pieces.

Megamind pulled the invisible car over to the curb.

"Roxanne," he said as her tears came faster. "Sweetheart. I'm here. I'm here. It's okay."

"I know, I know," she sobbed. God, she hated herself for falling apart. "This is stupid."

"No," he said gently, turning in his seat to embrace her. "No, you're just overwhelmed. It's been a crazy day," he dropped a kiss on the top of her bowed head. "You were really brave out there."

She shook her head. "I was terrified."

"That makes two of us," he smiled softly. "But we all still went to battle and fought well. That's what matters."

"I could have lost you!"

"But you didn't, because you were too brave to let that happen. I wouldn't have survived a headshot, especially at that range, but you acted fast. You looked fate in the eye and said: 'not today.' It's our choices that create our destinies, remember?" Megamind continued, lifting her chin. "You made the choice to protect me, to change what might have been into what is. We make our own tomorrows, Roxanne, and that's what you did. You thought fast. You were heroic. I mean that. So, it's alright to cry right now because you were strong when you needed to be. I'm proud of you."

"But you're not coming to pieces," she protested.

"Why, I'm the courageous and incredibly handsome Defender of Metrocity," he grinned. "But believe me," he added soberly. "I have my moments."

"Really?"

"Complete panic-mode freak-outs," he assured her, putting the car back in gear.

"Megamind?" she asked after a moment.

"Yes?"

"Will you make sure I'm there for the next one?"

He glanced away from the road long enough to lift an inquiring eyebrow.

"I'm serious. You're always there for me, pulling me up, helping me put myself back together. I want to do the same for you. Please… Let me be the one to hold you next time your world falls apart."

She could see his smile in profile. "I will. But you can't tell anybody," he added quickly.

"Not a soul," she promised.

"Good," he nodded. "For now, let's just get you home and into a hot bath. Call Minion," he added to the car's AI system.

His aquatic sidekick picked up on the first ring. "Sir? Is everything alright?"

"Fine, Minion. Are you home yet?"

"Just got in, Sir."

"Excellent. Will you please draw Roxanne up a bath?" The tub he had installed in their shared bathroom was large— nearly twice the standard size— and took some time to fill up. "Make sure it's extra hot."

"Yes, Sir! Bubbles?"

Megamind glanced a question at Roxanne.

"Oh, why not?" she smiled weakly. "It's been years since I had a bubble bath."

"Bubbles, yes," Megamind answered Minion. "Oh, and make sure we have some Moscato chilled."

* * *

Roxanne had sunk into the steaming embrace of her bath when there was a knock at the door.

"Sweetheart?" Megamind called. "I'm coming in." He opened the door carrying a book under his arm and wine bottle in an ice bucket in one hand, still fully dressed except for his gloves. Brainbots followed in his wake carrying an industrial gray stool from the workroom and a dining room chair. Roxanne knew logically that the organic components of the little cyborgs were canine, hardly likely to care about her nudity, but she still sank a little lower beneath the concealing bubbles.

"Here we are," Megamind motioned for the drones to put down the furniture, and waved them away. He arranged the stool at the side of the tub to serve as a table, popped the bottle's cork, and filled one of the wine glasses a brainbot had left on the counter. He handed the drink to Roxanne and settled himself in the chair near the foot of the tub. "Now," he said. "I thought _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ would be appropriate. Douglas Adams is always good for a laugh."

Roxanne smiled. "You're going to read to me?"

"Well, you did say you found my Shakespeare performance," he lifted a cocky eyebrow, "inspiring."

"And Douglas Adams doesn't offend you?"

"It's comedic. It's not meant to be taken seriously. Besides," he added with a quirk of his lips, "if the ab-surdity of hearing an actual alien read _Hitchhiker's Guide_ doesn't make you smile, nothing will." He started to take a seat, then paused to glance around. Opening the small cabinet beside the sink, he retrieved a black drying cloth and laid it across the counter. "Never forget your towel," he informed her with a smirk, green eyes dancing with humor.

She couldn't help but giggle. She didn't even care that she sounded silly. "Megamind, how did you get to be so wonderful?"

"Just one of my fantastic gifts. Now," he cleared his throat. "' _Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun..._ '"

Megamind had an excellent voice for reading aloud, and by the time he was a few pages into the second chapter, his smooth tones, not to mention the wine and warm water, had lulled Roxanne into deep relaxation.

"You look very comfortable, Miss Ritchi," he commented with warm affection, pausing to take a sip from his own glass.

"Mmmm..." she sighed. "All I would need now to convince me I've died and gone to Heaven is a foot massage."

"I can certainly oblige," he unfastened his cloak and began removing his boots.

"Oh, no, Megamind, I didn't mean you had to—" she stammered as he quickly checked his pockets, unclasped his belt and holster, and stepped into the bath, clothes and all.

"You're crazy!" she half-laughed, half gasped. "You'll ruin your things!"

"Nonsense! Waterproof, remember?" he set one of her feet on his bent knees and began rubbing it. Roxanne practically melted.

"Right here?" he asked, rubbing a little harder.

"Mmmm-hmmmm."

He chuckled. "You're so cute when you're happy."

"Then I must be cute a lot these days."

"Positively adorable. Does that feel good?" he focused on the ball of her foot.

"Uh-huh."

"You have a lot of tension here. Maybe you shouldn't wear high heels so often."

"Maybe."

"You don't have to impress me, you know."

"I know. But I like looking good."

"You always look good."

"You're sweet. Oh, that feels nice!"

Megamind had begun gently tugging each of her pedicured toes. "This little piggy went to market, which was a remarkably poor decision for a pig, really," he said.

Roxanne nearly spat out her wine as she laughed.

"This little piggy stayed home like a sensible animal," Megamind continued with a grin. "This little piggy had roast beef— at least it wasn't pork. This little piggy had none. And this little piggy," he finished with her pinkie toe. "Apparently had bladder control issues." He gently released her and held out his hand. "Other foot, if you please, Madam," he said in his best impression of a Maître d'.

Roxanne laughed again as she complied.

"Alright, but then it's your turn."

"I would like that," he admitted. "But you're not stealing my Little Piggy rhyme!"


	19. Daylight and Dark Chapter 19 - Kidnapped

The next morning Roxanne found Megamind in a surprisingly solemn mood. She was already awake and dressed for practice— yoga pants and a RUSH t-shirt Megamind kept threatening to steal— so she expected him to be pleased. One look at his face, however, told her something was very wrong.

"Ares has jammed the tracker," he said in reply to her concerned inquiries. "The good news is that I developed a system that uses both GPS satellite signals and radio tracking. He's jammed it too quickly to have built something himself, which means he's using store-bought technology again."

"I'm not sure I'm following you. Why is that good news exactly?"

"Because the fact he's bothering with jammers means he couldn't remove the tracker. While there are mobile GPS jammers available to the public, using a purchased VHF/UHF tracking jammer without being able to access the actual device will require something more cumbersome. It will have to be plugged directly into a power source, and that means he's only untraceable as long as he stays in one place." He sighed. "The bad news is that as long as he does stay in one location, we're still blind to him. I sent brainbots to search his last known location— a cheap hotel near the shipyards— but, of course, he was already gone. Not surprising, really."

Roxanne's heart clenched. "Megamind, I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to feel sorry about."

"Yes, I do!" she turned away, unable to meet his eyes, and hugged herself tight. "If I… if I hadn't broken down, if I hadn't made you waste your time babysitting me—"

" _Waste my time_?" he actually sounded almost angry.

"If it wasn't for me, you would have already caught him! I was weak… I asked you to let me in, to let me help, and I ruined everything! It's my fault!"

She heard soft clinks behind her, then felt warm fingers below her shirt's sleeves. Megamind had unbuckled and removed his gloves. "Roxanne, Sweetheart," he said firmly, gently running his hands up and down her bare arms. "Let me make something really clear: that was not a waste of my time. Drying your tears, making you smile, hearing you laugh… Those are some of the most important things I could possibly spend my time doing."

"But—"

"No. No buts." She felt Megamind's lean, strong arms encircle her, felt his goatee tickle her skin as he kissed her cheek. "I love you, Roxanne Ritchi, and time spent with you is never wasted. Yes, this complicates matters, but we will figure it out, and I absolutely do not regret choosing to stay with you last night."

"That's sweet… You always are," she swallowed. "I really thought I could do it… Really thought I could be your partner in every way… But I can't… I'm not good enough… Here you are trying to teach me to be something other than useless when you have more important… You... you shouldn't have to babysit—"

"Stop using that term," He pulled her around to face him, and cupped her face with his slender hands, one thumb stroking over her cheek. "You are _not_ useless. I was _not_ babysitting anyone. I was comforting the woman I love," he leaned to press his lips to her forehead, his words warm against her skin. "Last I checked, sharing a bottle of wine with the kids you're babysitting was firmly situated in the No Category."

She laughed despite herself, hugged him close, leaned in to press her forehead against his. "Why are you so perfect?"

"I'm not."

"You are."

He chuckled. "I'm not having this argument." He closed his eyes, bumped his nose against hers. His breath caressed her skin. "You are far from useless. You do know that, right? Right now you're going through an adjustment period. You've had to deal with a lot in a short time, and you've dealt with it beautifully, all things considered. Sometimes I forget you're entirely new to all of this."

She buried her face in his neck and said the only thing she could say: "I love you."

"I love you too."

After a moment, Megamind spoke again, a slight hesitation in his voice. "You know, there is one other piece of good news from last night. After you went to bed, one of my contacts reached out with information about a girl matching Olivia Nelson's description. She approached a woman in a gas station bathroom and said she was in trouble, that a bad man was waiting for her outside."

"Smart girl."

"Indeed. Anyway, the woman told her to wait there and went out to speak to the nighttime manager. That would be my contact. He called me first, at about one o'clock this morning, and—"

A brainbot arrived, interrupting him with a loud mechanical barking noise. It plucked Roxanne's sleeve and held out a note clutched in a small metal claw.

"Urgent call for you, Miss Ritchi," it read in an untidy scrawl.

"That's Minion's writing," Megamind said. "He must be in the workroom. We'll reschedule training for this afternoon. I think we're both too exhausted this morning. Go take your call," he kissed her cheek. "Come find me when you're done so I can tell you what's happening."

"I will," she gave him a quick, chaste kiss, and went to find out what Andro— the only person who would be calling her on the supercomputer— needed to tell her.

Roxanne followed the little cyborg to the workroom and found Minion engaged in conversation with her friend on a large monitor.

"...Only way to do it, really," Minion was saying. "Cut tomatoes with a bread knife and they stay nice and firm. Then put them between slices of African Sweet Bread along with the caramelized red onions, as well as Mozzarella, Mascarpone, just a sprinkle of black pepper, and some fresh basil. Grill it in a little clarified butter, and voila! The best tomato sandwich you've ever had! Oh, hello, Miss Ritchi!"

"Hey, Roxie!" Andro added. "So, when do I get invited to dinner?"

She smiled. "I'll ask Megamind. It might not be until this whole Ares ordeal is over." She nearly bit her tongue. Here she was, talking as if she assumed she'd still be living here.

Minion, at least, didn't seem to think it odd. "We could have a celebration dinner! That would be nice!"

"I may hold you to that," Andro warned. "Actually," he turned back to Roxanne. "Scary-Ares is what I'm calling about. We just got a hot scoop. The police roadblocks were a bust, but a search did turn up the abandoned truck. Turns out it was stolen."

"Big surprise," Roxanne nodded. "It's too bad they didn't catch him, though. But then, if they had, he might have hurt people."

"The word is that there were dirt bike tracks. It looks like Sir Shoots-a-Lot came prepared."

"He's probably changed his look again by now, too. Megamind said he was good at disappearing."

"Well, he wasn't wrong. Listen, I'm just on break, so I've got to get back to work. Everything okay, though?" He looked at her critically, and Roxanne tried her best to appear cheerful

"Everything's good," she smiled again. "We're all fine." She was astounded to realize it was true… Megamind's words had sunk into her heart. _I am not useless. I can do this._

"Good. Try to keep it that way. I've got to go, Roxie. You'll pass the word on to Big M?"

"I'll tell him," she nodded. "Thank you for calling, Andro. Stay safe."

"You too."

The screen went blank.

She found Megamind in the lab, carefully refining some sort of liquid in a condenser over a burner, catching the drops in a vial.

"Goggles and apron," he reminded without looking up. He took lab safety seriously, even if she never touched anything. She obediently donned a pair of protective goggles and a black chemical-resistant lab apron before moving closer.

"What are you working on?"

"A new tranquilizer. I'm refining it from the same basic compounds as the Knock Out Spray. It should act instantly, but we can use it at long range."

"Planning to build a dart gun?"

"Oh, I have one. I built it decades ago, when I was eleven, but I haven't used it in a long time. I'm sure it needs updating. I was thinking it might be more advisable to build a new setting into the De-Gun. I played around with quantum teleportation a few years back and managed to get it to work on small amounts of inanimate matter. It should be theoretically possible to send qubit information via a non-lethal energy blast and reform localized molecules into the molecular structure as the tranquilizer. Since the compound is effective even through the skin, that should work."

"Mmm," she nodded, surprised to realize she'd actually understood most of what he'd just said. Living with Megamind had exposed her to more information about things like mechanical engineering, molecular chemistry, and quantum physics than she'd ever thought possible.

It had also taught her not to let him get too involved with his explanations if she wanted to have a conversation any time soon.

"So, Andro just called," she interjected before he could really get on a roll.

"How is he?" Megamind asked, still focused on his work.

"He seems to be fine, but he had some news..."

"I expected no less from Ares," Megamind said when she'd finished relaying what her friend had learned. "He isn't a fool. I wonder when they'll find the boat."

"What boat?"

"That's why I told them to watch the river. He'll have taken a boat to escape downstream. Most obvious course of action," he glanced at her. "Well, what did you think, that he would walk all the way back?"

"I figured he'd just ride the motorbike."

He shook his head. "Dirt bikes leave tracks and they're not so good on roads. They'll find it abandoned somewhere near the river, probably hidden." The blue hero sighed. "That's the problem with bureaucracy. I suppose I can't blame the police force. By the time they got approval and got boats out there, Ares was probably long gone."

"But you didn't go after him yourself."

"You were more important. Besides, I wanted Ares to think he'd slipped the net. I wanted him to let his guard down so that I might be able to capture him without any collateral loss of life. If he gets desperate, he'll become dangerous." He paused and she could almost see his thoughts leaping to a new subject. "Speaking of Ares, earlier I wanted to tell you—"

"Sir?" Minion's voice crackled over the holowatch. "Would it be possible for me to go out for crayons?" He paused. "And a My Little Pony coloring book?"

"Crayons?" Roxanne asked incredulously.

"Not now, Minion, I can't stop and watch—" Megamind broke off mid-sentence at the look on Roxanne's face. "Uh, I haven't… Actually explained yet…"

"Sir!"

"Where is she?" Asked Roxanne.

"Ah, yes…" Megamind stuttered. "I was— ah— trying to tell you… Got interrupted…"

Roxanne put her hands on her hips. "Megamind. Where. Is. She?" a thought struck her. "And do the authorities know she's here?"

His expression spoke volumes.

"Oh, my God," Roxanne sighed and pressed a hand against her forehead. "You've kidnapped an assassin's daughter."


	20. Daylight and Dark Chapter 20 - An Unexpected Guest

"I cannot believe you!" Roxanne was still seething as she followed Megamind through the complex.

"Let me explain! My contact called the MCPD after he called me. Ares heard sirens. Realized what was happening. He tried to force his way into the bathroom but had to flee when the police arrived. They remembered what he did last time, and now they're taking a shoot-first-ask-later approach with him. Probably he planned to return— I've had that gas station under twenty-four surveillance just in case— but in the meantime, there was a little girl left all alone. What else could I do?"

"So you brought her _here_?"

"I thought you wanted to ensure she was safe," Megamind protested as he led her toward the dining room.

"Yes. Safe with the _proper authorities_. Why didn't you let the police take care of it? She's already been kidnapped once this month. Isn't that enough?"

" _Rescue_. We rescued her."

"Semantics."

"This has nothing to do with cultural backgrounds, and I don't believe she's Jewish anyway."

"Don't believe she's— No, Megamind. Semantics. As in word choice."

"Well, we _did_ rescue her! And technically I _am_ an official 'proper authority.'"

Roxanne groaned again. "There are channels for this sort of thing—"

"I don't watch reality television."

"Are you being deliberately obtuse?"

"Obtuse? Take a look at me, Roxanne," he gestured to his narrow frame and raised one eyebrow. "If anything I'm acute!"

"Geometry jokes? Really?"

"It was funny. Admit it."

"This really isn't the time!"

"Oh, there's always time for a good Geometry joke."

"Megamind!"

"Or a good Chemistry joke. You know, I wanted to make a Chemistry joke instead, but all the good ones Argon!" He looked at her expectantly for a moment. "You know," he urged. "Argon, as in the—"

"I got it, it's just not funny. Especially not now! We have an _abducted child_ in our home!"

"Rescued." Megamind corrected again, then paused. "You said 'our!'" he spun to face her, green eyes sparkling, mouth split into a wide smile.

" _That's_ what you're taking away from this conversation?"

"It's the part I like best!"

Sometimes it almost bothered her, the way he could always make her smile no matter how angry she was. One look at his face glowing with affectionate joy and she knew she had lost the battle.

Roxanne shook her head helplessly. "Megamind, I swear—"

"You shouldn't, you know. It's not very polite."

"Megamind!" her objection turned into a laugh as she aimed a gentle slap at his shoulder.

He ducked away, answering with a grin and a dramatic flourish. "Rail all you wish, Miss Ritchi! Nothing you say now could possibly ruin my good mood! Seriously," he added more calmly. "What's done is done. Come meet our guest, and we'll discuss our next course of action later."

She sighed.

"Sweetheart, think about it. Where else in Metrocity could she be safer than here? I'm the Defender now, so I'm doing my best to _defend her_ ," a smile teased the edges of his mouth.

"Now you're starting with the puns?"

"Anything for you, my Darling." He turned the corner toward the dining room. "Besides, it's better than arguing."

What could she say to that? "Fine," she surrendered, catching up to take his hand. "But we really do need to talk about this. And we have to let someone know."

"We will."

Olivia was sitting at the dining room table, kicking her feet and munching a sandwich, a glass of grape juice near her elbow. She had latte-colored skin and soft, dark curls that spoke of mixed heritage. Roxanne was guessing that her mother had been at least part African American. As they entered the room, the girl looked up and smiled, crumbs on her face.

"Can I play with the robots?" she asked.

"Cyborgs," Megamind corrected with a surprisingly soft look. "Maybe after lunch."

"Can I go outside?"

"I'm sorry, Little One, but it isn't safe yet."

"When?"

"When the bad man isn't looking for you anymore."

"Mr. Ares said he's my dad, but I've already got a dad," she paused. "Jeanetta Kraft has two dads. And a rabbit." She said this as if the latter was by far the most impressive. "Want some sandwich?" she asked Roxanne. "It's got tomatoes. I like tomatoes."

"Me too," Roxanne smiled. "Thank you, but I'm not really hungry right now," she added as Olivia held the meal out toward her. "You go ahead and enjoy it."

"Do you know what's best about sandwiches?" the girl asked after another mouthful.

"Um, no, what?"

"You don't have to decide what to eat first."

"Oh— Okay…"

"Like, when you've got a dinner plate, you have to eat what you don't like first, and what you like a little bit second, and finish with what you like best. That way that's what taste stays in your mouth. Then grownups make you brush your teeth. It ruins everything." She rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Dental hygiene is paramount," Megamind informed her.

"Mount? Like a mountain?"

"Paramount. It means 'very important.' If you don't brush your teeth, they'll all turn black and fall out, then you won't be able to eat anything but soup and jello."

She shuddered. "I don't like soup. Except tomato soup. It's good with grilled cheese. And I like potato soup and French onion soup. All the other soups are gross! I like jello! Jello's good!"

"But you can't eat sandwiches without teeth," he reminded her. "You can't eat cookies either."

"And you can't eat corn on the cob," Olivia nodded sagely. "You have to have teeth for that. Or egg rolls. You can't eat egg rolls. I like egg rolls. Oh! I forgot one! I like wonton soup, too!"

There was a pause while the girl munched her sandwich.

"I never saw a lab before," she announced between bites. "I've seen a lab, like a dog. A Labrador Retriever. But not a mad scientist lab. Are you a mad scientist?" she asked Megamind.

"Ah… Maybe?"

"Don't you know for sure?"

"How would I tell?"

She gave him an exasperated look. "Do you have a Frankenstein?"

"A Franken– No, I don't."

"Then you're not a mad scientist," the girl said with finality. "You can't be a mad scientist without a Frankenstein."

"Good to know."

"I know lots of stuff. Did you know that bull sharks have fifty rows of teeth?"

"I did," Megamind sat beside her. "Did you know that sharks can't stay still?"

She looked at him wide-eyed. "Not ever?"

"Not ever. It's the way their gills breathe. They'll drown if they stay still, so they always have to keep swimming."

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming," she sang, then paused. "How do they sleep?"

"I'm not sure."

She thought about that for a moment. "I'm going to play shark!" she announced and started to jump up.

"Whoa, whoa," Megamind caught her before she could dash away, and gently set her back in the chair. "Finish your lunch first, then you can play shark."

Olivia sighed.

"Sharks need their food," Megamind insisted.

"Sharks don't eat tomato sandwiches."

"Well, they've never tried one, have they?"

She considered that carefully. "Can I take sandwiches to the beach? Are there sharks in the water?"

"No, I'm afraid not… That's one of the Great Lakes, like an inland sea, not the ocean, so no sharks."

"We should get some sharks."

"Well, I don't have sharks, but I do have alligators."

Olivia looked at him with new awe. Behind the girl, Roxanne desperately tried to signal her lover to stop talking.

Megamind ignored her. "If you eat all your lunch and finish your homework," he told Olivia, "I'll take you to see the alligators."

Roxanne slapped a palm over her face.

"How come I have to do homework when I'm not in school?" Olivia was asking.

"You are in shool; you're just learning at home."

"Mr. Ares didn't make me do homework."

"He also didn't have alligators," Megamind reasoned.

Olivia thought for a moment and then nodded. "I'll do homework for alligators. I like school anyway. Except for art class. Even though I like drawing. Ms. Budny always wants us to do things her way. She stifles my creativity," Olivia sighed with an intensity of drama only a seven-year-old could muster. Looking at Roxanne, she added: "You have pretty eyes."

"Thank you. So do you."

"You have Tinkerbell hair, too. That's what my teacher, Ms. Birmingham, calls it, and her hair looks like yours."

It took Roxanne a moment to comprehend. "Oh. A pixie cut. Yes, that's right."

"Are you a pixie?"

"Well, no."

"So you don't have wings?"

"No, sorry."

"I have wings. They're not real though. I wish I had real wings. Then I could fly."

Megamind was getting that far-off, deep-thought look on his face again, One hand came up to stroke the patch of hair on his chin.

Roxanne cleared her throat to get his attention and shook her head slightly, trying to speak with her eyes. _You are not building functional wings for a seven-year-old._

He shrugged.

Olivia finished her sandwich and drank her juice. "Did you know you're cool?" she asked both of them. "Mr. Minion is, too, except maybe a little cooler because he's a fish robot."

"Hey, come on!" laughed Megamind. "I _built_ that robot body! Doesn't that make me cooler?"

The little girl thought for a moment. "Maybe. Did you build any lasers?"

"Yes, actually," he beamed. "I have a weapon with plasma laser capabilities!"

"A what?"

"A… ray gun," he simplified. He looked as if he might actually find using such an inaccurate and unscientific term slightly painful.

"For real? You made a space gun? Like in the movies?"

"I made a space gun. Because I'm a real-life alien."

"Cool! You are?"

"The blue skin didn't give it away?"

She shrugged. "I thought you drank too much blue Koolaide and changed colors. Like a flamingo."

He chuckled. "Ah, good hypothesis, but no."

The little girl seemed to consider deeply for a moment. "Okay. I changed my mind. You can be the coolest. Only don't tell Mr. Minion. Am I going to stay here?"

Roxanne opened her mouth to respond, but Megamind was quicker. "Yes, for the foreseeable future," he said.

Aware of the girl's eyes on them, Roxanne fought not to glare at her lover.

"What about Rosie Whiskers?"

Megamind stared at her, dumbfounded. "Rosie— Who?"

"That's my stuffed cat. She's pink and she's got a purple dress. Starshine the Unicorn and Brownie Bear have to come, too. They'll be sad if I'm gone too long."

"Ah," Megamind smiled. "Well, then, make me a list of everything you want from your bedroom, and I'll send brainbots to fetch it."

"Really?"

"Of course! You can come to the workroom this evening, and we'll do some online shopping, too. You can pick out your own bed and things."

"Can it be a princess bed?"

"Any sort of bed you want."

"And I'm going to hide here where Mr. Ares can't find me, like the princess in the tower?"

"Exactly. You can be the princess in the tower. I'll even buy you a princess dress."

"I love it here!" Olivia announced with feeling. "It's kind of like a secret clubhouse, and everybody's nice! We could be the Nice People Club, except that's a stupid name." She jumped up. "I'm going upstairs to finish my homework so I can see the alligators!" she called as she bounded from the room.

"I don't mean to brag," Megamind turned toward his lover with a grin. "But I'm the coolest."

"Yes, you are. I guess I'll have to put up with third place," she tried to tease, but anxiety weighed her humor down, and she sighed. "Did you really have to say she was staying here for the foreseeable future? She's going to be so disappointed when she has to leave, Megamind. We really shouldn't make promises we won't be able to keep."

"I have every intention of keeping it. She's safe here. And where else is she going to go?"

"They'll probably take her back to her step-father. You know, her _legal guardian_?"

Megamind's face went hard, brows lowering, green eyes blazing with a dangerous light. "No," he said stonily. "They most definitely will not."

The expression he wore deepened Roxanne's concern, and she dropped her arms. "Megamind? What is it?"

"Simmons came through with the information about Johnson. It transpires that there's a good reason Ares wanted to take his daughter away."

* * *

They were sitting in the workroom examining all the digital files Police Chief Simmons had sent.

"He's not just a drunk," Roxanne said, staring at the monitor. "He's an angry drunk"

"Very angry," Megamind agreed. "Roxanne, I'm going to show you the medical files from a couple of his wife's hospital visits, but I'm warning you: they're bad."

"I've interviewed people after some horrible injuries. I can handle it."

She did, but it wasn't easy. The first photograph showed a woman with warm brown skin and rich black hair. Her nose and almond eyes showed a Latino influence while her brow, long lashes, and plump lips spoke of the African heritage Roxanne had already seen in Olivia. Taken as a whole, the face in the image would have been uniquely beautiful if it hadn't been for the purple bruises and swollen features that marred it, and Roxanne found herself wondering what old pains or deep self-doubts had driven so attractive a woman to stay with someone like Johnson. The reporter shook her head to dismiss the thought. She needed to be clinical about this; it was the only way to deal with these sorts of terrible realities. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to study the other images cataloging dark, purple-black contusions on the woman's arms, side, and back. One of the arms, apparently, had been broken and was in a cast. The poor woman had been beaten with a level of vicious brutality that Roxanne found hard to imagine. It made the reporter cringe in sympathy.

"This is one of the worst incidents," Megamind informed her, "but it's far from the only one. It's not even the only one that required a hospital visit."

"And you think Johnson started hitting Olivia?" she asked, eyes still on the screen.

His voice was grim. "Minion examined her last night. She's got bruises on her back and upper arms. They're fading, turning green, and there are no newer ones. It takes two weeks for bruises to heal, and she was with Ares for eight days. That tells me she was hurt before the kidnap. Then there's this," he tapped keys and brought up a new report. "Over a year ago, her teacher reported that she came into shool with bruising on her face. Johnson told the principal that she'd had a bicycle accident. Three months later, the same thing happened, and that time he claimed she'd fallen out of a tree. After that, it looks like he wised up, and started only hitting her places her clothes would cover." He clenched his fists, jaw tight, eyebrows lowered in an angry scowl. "That's what enrages me the most. If he had enough control to choose _where_ to hit her, he had enough control to choose _not to hit her at all_. But he did." He shook his head. "It seems he started using his step-daughter as a punching bag once his wife was no longer around to serve that purpose. Why do women stay with men like that?"

"I think some don't think they have a choice, while some get emotionally confused," Roxanne answered. "You know, an abusive man isn't always abusive… I once did a special report on domestic violence awareness. A lot of times it's a cycle, and sometimes the man can seem really sweet and likable for days or even weeks before something triggers him. And people like Johnson are usually good at manipulating and shifting the blame to their victims. So too often the woman gets it into her head that it's her own fault, that she caused it because she wasn't good enough. Or the man. Because men get abused too. Either way, abusive people are naturally drawn to partners with low self-esteem, the sort who already tend to internalize and self-criticize. Add to that the fact that most abusers are controlling, cutting their partners off from friends and family until they feel as if they have nowhere to turn, and you have the ingredients for a perfect storm."

Megamind's entire body was tense, his jaw working as he ground his teeth. "And children raised in that environment will grow up to be the next generation of victims. I should hunt Johnson down and see how he likes being beaten bruised and bloody!"

Roxanne hugged him from behind, and he placed one hand on her arm. "Darling, is that what a hero would do?"

"That is what any decent man should do!" he growled.

"But aren't you required to use appropriate channels for handling this sort of thing?"

He sneered. "Ah, like the shool system? Yes, they did such an excellent job."

"I know, I know… I can't understand why they didn't do something," she admitted. "There are steps they're supposed to take."

Megamind blew out a long breath, letting out some of his tension. "Johnson is a lawyer; people automatically respect that. If he had been a construction worker or a janitor, they probably would have made different assumptions and been more proactive. That sort of thing shouldn't matter, but we both know it does."

"So you're saying he basically just got away with it because of his job and his tax bracket. And the only reason it ever got brought to light is... Jesus," Roxanne could feel her own anger rising now. "A murderer literally had to snatch the poor kid before anyone thought to take a closer look because people like Johnson know how to play the system! You know what? Screw it. If you want to beat up Johnson, I won't stop you. I'll hold him down."

"That's my girl."

"Okay, I understand why we can't give her back to her step-father," Roxanne said. "But we still have to contact Family Services about this."

"I will, but not yet. I want to make a few other calls first. As the Defender of Metrocity, I have the right to take endangered citizens into my protective custody. That's how I got your stay here registered as witness protection. If I call Family Services or the police right now, they'll be legally obligated to return Olivia to her so-called guardian."

Roxanne nodded her agreement. "And what then? After we catch Ares, I mean?"

"I don't know," he admitted, rubbing a thumb in slow circles over her wrist. "We'll figure it out."

"You don't have any ideas?"

"My idea is that it's going to depend on whether Olivia has any other family I feel is trustworthy, and whether she wants to go with them or stay here."

Roxanne leaned down to kiss his cheek. "You are a truly wonderful man."

He turned his head to grin at her. "I know."

"But what if she says she does want to stay here? I mean… How do we… Explain to her?"

"Explain what?"

"Megamind, she's not a lost puppy, you can't just—"

He kept his eyes focused ahead of him, but she could hear the blush in his voice. "I know she's not, Sweetheart… Being a father, that's going to be a huge and completely terrifying responsibility. But Minion's here too— He took care of me, you know— and then, if you stay…"

She leaned around to look at him. "Megamind, you do have a plan. You're planning for a family."

His blush deepened. "Well, you know… I've always wanted a child..."

"But we've never even _discussed_ this sort of thing, Megamind." Roxanne fought to keep her voice calm. "You can't just decide for me that I'm going to be a mom, or ask me to choose between parenthood and leaving you. It isn't fair."

The look of pain on his face made her feel like a monster. "So you... don't want children?" Something in her face made him look quickly away. "It's alright. I understand." Watching him in profile, she could see his adam's apple move as he swallowed hard. "I'm not trying to take your choices from you. I'm only asking you not to take mine. We can work it out. If this isn't something you want, she can be my daughter; Minion and I can raise her, and you can be simply my girlfriend, not... anything you don't want to be."

"It doesn't work that way."

"She needs me. She needs _someone_ who won't hurt her, use her, or walk away when things get tough. But I won't force you to be a mother if that isn't—"

"Look," she sighed. "I never said I didn't want children. I do. Someday. It's just that this is... It's so..." Scary. Unexpected. Utterly petrifying.

"This is sudden. I know. And between you and I, I'm afraid too. But while maybe the timing isn't ideal, adoption was always going to be an option. Roxanne," he finally looked at her, taking her hand in his. "I've run some DNA tests and built simulations using the data. I don't think… Our genomes are extremely similar, but not quite similar enough. While it isn't entirely impossible, it's highly unlikely that I can give you children in the… natural way without scientific intervention… Probably it would require a biochemical approach. And if you ever decide you're ready, I'm certainly happy to look into that," he added quickly. "If that's what you want, I'll find a way. But this... Maybe this really is destiny. She's a sweet girl, and we could be great parents. I know we could."

 _Suburbia_ , that nasty little voice in Roxanne's head kept whispering. _Minivans and mini-mansions. Monotony and mom-jeans._

Roxanne, however, was looking at Megamind's face, his expression a mingle of vulnerable hope and cautious yearning. She thought about the way he'd been raised, the closest thing he had to family a talking fish and gaggle of hardened criminals. Could she really blame him for wanting to protect another defenseless child, or for wanting what fate had denied him all his life? Then there was Olivia to think about, a little girl with big brown eyes and an infectious grin, who'd clearly kept her vivaciousness, kind heart, and unstoppable curiosity despite what she'd endured. Didn't she deserve better than Johnson's drunken abuse or the uncertain mercy of foster care? And what of the way Megamind looked at his new charge, like he was already wrapped around her little finger? For that matter, Roxanne had barely met the girl but already felt a rising need to cherish and nurture. Her head kept telling her that suddenly taking on the roles of live-in partner and surrogate mother was stupid, rash, idiotic… but at that moment, it was her heart she listened to.

 _Shut up_ , she told the voice. _Just shut up_.

She still couldn't say she was a huge fan of this idea, but maybe... Maybe she could try? After all, nothing was set in stone. Not yet. There remained a possibility of finding a loving aunt or doting grandparents who would take over Olivia's care. If that didn't happen, there would be time to give this a trial run, to grow used to the idea. As for her concerns about suburban deathtraps and career suicide, logically they were absurd. Lots of mothers worked. Megamind certainly wasn't going to abandon the Evil Lair any time soon, and they had a ready-made babysitter in the form of Minion. Yes, this would be an entirely unexpected turn in life's road, admittedly frightening in its newness, but that didn't mean it had to be bad. And, she thought, glancing at her lover, Megamind— wonderful, loving, brilliant Megamind— would be by her side the whole way. It wasn't as if she had to sign the papers right now. She could take this one step at a time.

"Hey," she touched his cheek and gently turned his eyes back to her own. "We'll see what happens, okay?" she smiled at him, and he smiled back, his face lighting up as if she had just offered him the world.

"Then let me make some phone calls," he leaned back in his chair and pulled her down for a lingering kiss. Digging his cellphone out of his pocket— she'd never been able to figure out how he hid it so well in those tight pants— he dialed a number from memory.

"Hello, Mayor Pollock? I need a favor…"

* * *

The alligators, it turned out, now had a large enclosure built in the basement, complete with a glass observation wall, a swampy pool, live plants, and sunlamps wired into a timing system.

"There's a bank of windows high up in the wall I can open to give them natural sunlight, too," Megamind was explaining. He held Olivia's hand in one of his and pointed with the other. "That's Allie, and that's Spike over there…"

Standing behind him, Roxanne smiled with amused affection. Of course he had named the stupid alligators.

"Can I pet them?" Olivia was asking.

"I wouldn't recommend it. They're... Ah... Bitey. But you can watch when we feed them," he added quickly, seeing the disappointment on the girl's face.

"Can we feed them apple pies?"

"Uh… I'm not sure they'd like those… They usually get raw chicken…"

She gave him a look as if he were the biggest dullard in the world. "Everybody likes apple pie," she informed him. "Besides, they've never tried it, have they?"

Megamind looked a little shocked at having his words turned against him.

"I suppose not?" he said. "But, you know, alligators are carnivorous."

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Is that the one that means 'meat eater?'"

"Yes. Well, carnivore means 'meat-eater,' carnivorous is an adjective meaning, ah, 'one that eats meat.' They both come from the Latin words for 'animal flesh,' _carnis_ , and 'consume,' _vorare_."

Olivia didn't seem to be listening. "Can I draw them?" she asked.

"I don't know. Can you? Do you have that ability?"

She looked at him blankly.

"Did you, perhaps, mean: 'may I draw the alligators?'" he prompted.

"May I draw the alligators?"

"Of course!"

"Why are their tails so big?"

"It helps them to swim. And jump."

"Alligators _jump_?"

"Yes. I'll show you sometime."

"Are alligators dinosaurs?"

"Sort of. They're archosaurs, and they're similar to their ancestors in the Triassic period. Chickens kind of are, too. They're the closest living relatives of Tyrannosaurus rex. So it could be argued that alligators also eat dinosaurs."

" _Really_?"

"Really."

Olivia's face broke into a wide grin, and she began marching stiff-legged around the room, arms pulled halfway into her shirt sleeves, shouting: "Rawr! Rawr! Bok-bok-bok-bok-bok!" She chased a brainbot in a circle. "RAWR! Fear the Tyrannosaurus Chicken!"

Despite herself, Roxanne discovered she was laughing, and she felt Megamind slip an arm around her waist.

Megamind's holowatch started beeping, and he sighed. He tensed into action when he read the message, however.

"I have to go!" He said quickly, pecking Roxanne's cheek and hurrying toward the stairs. "Duty calls. Apartment fire on Brzezinski Street. People trapped inside. Olivia?" he added over his shoulder.

She stopped playing. "Yes, Mr. Megamind?"

"Minion and I have to go to work. Stay with Miss Roxanne!"

He was gone before Roxanne could protest, but she could hear him shouting orders for Minion and the brainbots into his watch as his voice faded through the floorboards. She pushed down a spark of burning ire at his leaving her holding the proverbial bag like this. It wasn't his fault. He had to go. People would die if he didn't hurry. And someone had to stay behind with their new charge. She fought to ignore the sneering little suspicion that she was already falling into the role of the forgettable housewife, left behind to tend the young while the men were off doing important things. She refused to believe that that was what this was. No, Megamind would never relegate her to a life he knew she didn't want. The simple fact was that he and Minion had worked together for years, while she was still essentially learning the ropes, and this was a situation where every second counted. Besides, once Ares was caught, she planned to go back to her day job, so it wasn't as if she even wanted to be a full-time sidekick. That was Minion's role— a role, she suddenly realized, that he had graciously stepped aside from more than once during the past weeks so that she could play a more active part in the Ares case. And in every aspect of Megamind's new life.

She really needed to tell the fish thank you when she saw him next.

With those thoughts cooling her riled emotions, she gathered her will and made the conscious choice not to be angry.

Olivia, thankfully, provided a distraction, turning round eyes on Roxanne. "Is Mr. Megamind a real hero? Like a really real one?"

"Yes," Roxanne blessed the tingle of warm pride the swelled through her. It was so much better than irritation. "He's a hero."

"My dad says he's not really, but my friend Fiona says he's like a superhero. He's on the news and everything."

"Not just like one, he is one."

"Cool! What powers does he have?"

"He's got something better than superpowers. He's the smartest man on earth. Probably in the galaxy."

"But he can't fly or shoot fire out of his hands or anything?" It bothered Roxanne more than it should have to hear the disappointment in the girl's voice.

"Well, that's just it. He's so smart that he can make things to do any of that. Any superpower you can think of, he can build something that does it. So being a super-genius is kind of like having all the powers at once." They were silent for a moment. Roxanne fought the sour churn of rising panic as her mind scrambled to remember what she had liked doing at Olivia's age. There weren't exactly a plethora of toys around the Lair, and she mentally sifted through items she had seen around: tools, gadgets, books… A deck of cards. "Do you want to play Go Fish?"

"What's that?"

"It's a card game. You mean you've never played?"

"No..."

"It's fun. You'll like it. Come upstairs and I'll teach you." She could do this. She really could. "I'll even make some hot chocolate."


	21. Daylight and Dark Chapter 21 - The Dragons

Megamind and Roxanne were busy once more in the workroom the next morning, Roxanne further researching potential leads online while her lover sat cross-legged on the ubiquitous scaffold, making repairs to a brainbot that had been damaged in action. (The little construct had refused to come down, and had spent several minutes darting around from one piece of cover to another for all the world like a pet trying to avoid a trip to the vet's office.)

"There you go, 648," the blue hero crooned. "That's better, isn't it?" he patted the bot's glass dome. "Who's a good little cyborg? That's right! You are!"

"Sir?" Minion's voice came over the watch. "Shoot out on Delaney Street! Looks like the Dragons," he named one of the city's more infamous gangs.

Megamind jumped down from the scaffolding— Roxanne really wished he wouldn't do that— and kissed Roxanne's cheek. "I have to go. They've been pushing lately… It seems they think that my becoming a hero means they don't have to keep the Mastermind's rules anymore."

"Go remind them who they're dealing with," she brushed her lips to his. "Be careful."

"I will. Minion," he spoke into the holowatch. "Code: ready the spee-ider bot! I think this calls for a little extra presentation."

* * *

"… Metro City streets are once again safer as our new Defender showed up on the scene of a shooting today in what appeared to be a giant robotic spider," George Herman, a reporter for KMCP's sister station, was declaring over the radio.

Megamind made a sound in his throat. "Do we have to listen to this?"

They were lying naked in his bed, cuddled close and resting. He hadn't objected when, after several minutes of languid caresses and conversation, Roxanne had asked if he minded her catching the eleven o'clock news on WKMP radio. Apparently, however, he had no intention of hearing his own exploits described.

"Hush, I want to listen to my hot boyfriend's thrilling adventures!"

He snuggled closer. "Don't really want to hear about work right now."

"Please?"

George was continuing: "...have Tamara Barker on the line, who was present for the entire event. Tamara, what can you tell us?"

"It was like nothing you ever saw," a female voice, slightly distorted by a phone connection, explained. "I was on my way home from the corner store when a car came roaring by and I heard three loud pops, and somebody started screaming. I didn't even think; I just hit the ground! All of a sudden there was this music blaring and a lot of clanking, and this huge metal spider came jumping and crawling all over the buildings faster than you'd believe. It took it's front legs and ripped the top right off that car, and he—Mr. Megamind—jumped down. A couple of guys came scrambling out—out of the car, I mean— but there were flashes of blue light, and they weren't there anymore. Mr. Megamind ran down one of them big spider legs, and then he grabbed a man right out the roof. He said: 'You know the rules,' and then he slugged him. I mean hit him hard. Knocked him out cold."

"Sources tell us that the men who seemed to vanish were in fact temporarily dehydrated using one of the city Defender's inventions," the correspondent explained. "Both are unharmed and in police custody. One of the men extracted from the vehicle was Roswell Hinks, leader of a gang known as the Dragons. Several other arrests were made as well. Authorities report that one person was killed and another injured in the shooting, but a police spokesperson is quoted as saying that the shooting could have been far deadlier."

The recording of a man's voice came on. "Without the Defender's quick action, the casualties might have been significantly higher. While our thoughts are with the families of the two victims, we remain grateful that this incident wasn't worse."

The reporter returned. "The identities of the victims have not been released, but WKMP News can confirm..."

"There. You've heard it. Now turn that off," murmured Megamind, nuzzling against Roxanne's neck.

"Nothing reported hints at Ares, anyway," she reached over and turned off the clock radio, then snuggled closer to him, running her hand down his spine. "Megamind? What's wrong?"

He had gone rigid. With a sigh, he shifted to look down at her. "I'm not entirely certain Ares wasn't involved. The Dragons started becoming more aggressive around the same time he would have arrived in Metrocity. And it would be his style to weaken a target's alliances before he strikes."

"I thought we agreed you weren't the target?"

"Maybe not _the_ target― the one he's being paid to eliminate― but I don't think there's any point in pretending that by opposing him I haven't made myself into a target nonetheless."

A shudder ran through Roxanne, and she wrapped her arms tightly around her lover, pressing her face into his neck. "I know. And I wish that you had the option of just lying low for a while. Please be careful, Megamind. Please, please be careful."

"Always, Sweetheart. As much as I can be," he promised gently, running reassuring hands through her short hair. "But now, if you don't mind, work is hardly what I would consider appropriate bedroom conversation, even when it does involve hearing myself praised on air."

"Maybe," she leaned up to rub her nose against his. "But, you know, a girl does like to hear the man she loves being bragged about."

"Hmmm," he said against her mouth, scattering kisses between words. "You know… you could… always just… ask me… I'm pretty good… at bragging."

"So why don't you?" She laughed and kissed him back more firmly, opening her lips in invitation, her hand tracing a path up his spine to stroke the base of his skull.

He made one of her favorite sounds— a purring inhuman moan deep in his throat— and broke away. "Roxanne… you know what that does to me…"

"Uh-huh," she grinned wickedly and did it again. With another of those wonderfully alien noises, Megamind pressed closer, nipping and kissing her neck. "You didn't answer me," Roxanne teased, her voice breathless and a little giggly. "Why don't you brag to me about your adventures?"

"Because there are better uses for my mouth," he rumbled, and began kissing his way down her body.


	22. Daylight and Dark Chapter 22 - More Questions Than Answers

The following evening found Megamind preparing to deal with the Dragons once more, this time in his role as the Criminal Mastermind. Roxanne pouted playfully at him when he informed her he’d have to leave again, making sad puppy noises that startled him into laughter. Her unhappy expression turned more sincere, however, when he gently refused her offer to accompany him.

“I’m sorry, Sweetheart, I really am, but it just isn’t possible this time,” Megamind said as he adjusted his high collar. He gave her a rueful smile, seeing the look on her face. “The Dragons are jumpy as it is; I _did_ just put several of them, including their leader and one of his enforcers, behind bars, after all. This isn’t the right time to introduce someone new in a meeting, especially when that someone is Metrocity’s best-known reporter.”

Roxanne dropped her hands from her hips. She really couldn’t argue with his logic. “I guess they’d get suspicious,” she stated more than asked.

“I’m afraid they would, and distrustful, nervous people with guns are never a good thing.”

“Can’t you wait until things cool down?”

“Darling, things will not cool down until they have a new leader in place. In fact, they’ll get worse, probably violent. That’s the point of this meeting: to select a new leader for the Dragons without bloodshed, and in doing so remind them who really runs things. I want to make sure whoever I leave in charge doesn’t get the same wayward ideas as his predecessor.”

“You will be careful, won’t you?”

His arms wrapped her tightly. “I’m always careful, Love, especially now that I have the best reason to be: you.” He kissed her, lips pressing and caressing until she opened her mouth to deepen the contact. His tongue tangled with hers, and Roxanne’s hand moved up from his shoulders, carefully avoiding the spikes, to slide beneath his high collar, stroking the back of his neck.

“Uh-uh-uh,” he chided gently, stepping back and capturing her hands. “You know I love it when you do that, but I can’t show up to this meeting with a bulge… It doesn’t exactly scream: ‘dangerous and powerful crime boss,’” he smirked.

Roxanne made a disappointed noise, and he chuckled. “Temptress,” he brushed his lips against hers again. “Hold that thought. I promise to make it up to you at the first possible opportunity. I love you.”

She hugged him close for a moment. “I love you, too.”

When Megamind was gone, she brewed a pot of coffee and poured herself a cup— this time into a red mug with black letters spelling out: "Evil Genius at Work." Settling herself at one of the supercomputer terminals, Roxanne started searching out old tax records. (She was finally getting the hang of the Unix commands, although the longer custom command codes Megamind used for higher security tasks were still elusively complex.) She’d been looking for information during her spare time for days but had little to show for it. Today, however, after an hour of following up on leads from previous documents, she had at least gained some information, but none of it was of much use. The Little Gifted School, it turned out, was owned by a trust she’d never heard of: SBF. That, in turn, was owned by another anonymous trust, MLS, which was incorporated into an LLC that she couldn’t find any record of anywhere else.

“Curiouser and curiouser,” she muttered to the screen. Someone clearly didn’t want their involvement with the school to be known.

Checking the time, she gave Andro a call.

“Hey, Roxie!” Andro was leaning back against the upholstered brown fabric of his couch. The distinctive blue light of a television shone across his features, and the muffled sounds of music and dialogue played at the edge of hearing.

“Hello,” she said. “I’m not bothering you, am I?”

“Nah, you just saved me from the most depressingly bad movie. If you’re ever tempted to rent Letters Left Behind, don’t. I can’t believe I actually wasted a Netflix disk on it.”

“What, the World War Two movie? Where the guy starts collecting and sending letters he finds with casualties? Aw, the previews looked so good!”

“I know, right?! I was expecting action and drama and all these heartfelt personal stories… What I got is possibly the worst script ever written. I mean, how do you make World War Two boring? Literally half the movie is just this guy complaining to everyone he meets. It’s awful. The worst part is that it’s such a good premise, but they totally ruined it!”

“Wow, that _is_ depressingly bad. Why don’t you just send it back?”

“Boredom and insomnia. I’m having one of those nights when I just want to veg. And I already watched Rose and Thorne twice this week. That one is good, by the way! I didn’t expect too much from an Urban Fantasy— just thought it would be fun— but wow! That was one of the best mystery dramas I've ever seen, and the whole magic thing was really well done! It definitely didn’t get the attention it deserves!”

Roxanne smiled. Her friend was an unapologetic cinema buff and could become absolutely rhapsodic when he found a movie he really liked. 

He could also become loquacious, so she interjected before he could really get rolling. “I’ll suggest it to Megamind the next time we have a movie night.”

“You should. But you probably didn’t call to hear my film recommendations, though,” he grinned. “What’s up?”

“Well, I may have a cure for the boredom, at least. I was wondering if you could help me with something?”

“That depends. Does this involve something crazy like recapturing a rampaging dinosaur Big M cloned from a fossilized egg or something? Because I am really not big on running.”

“No, no dinosaurs,” she laughed. “I’m doing some research into who owned a small private school in Metro City for a few years. The Little School for Gifted Kids.”

“Never heard of it.”

“Most people haven’t; it only had ten or twelve students total, and there’s something fishy about it.” She explained what she’d found so far. “The thing is, someone's made sure there's very little about it online, and right now I’m kind of limited on where I can go.”

“A weird school with only one grade and fewer than twenty kids owned by some mysterious corporation? Chica, that is way beyond fishy. That’s bonafide horror movie territory!” He thought for a moment. “I’ve got a friend who works in the Vital Records Office. Count me in, Nancy Drew! I’m on the case!”

She laughed again. “Did you seriously just call me Nancy Drew?”

“What? You’d rather be Miss Marple?”

They spoke for ten more minutes before Roxanne disconnected the call and returned to her own fruitless research. By the time Megamind roared through the hologram wall a parked the hoverbike, nearly two hours later, all she’d gotten for her trouble was a headache.


	23. Daylight and Dark Chapter 23 - Bad Good Guy

The following afternoon, Megamind was in the workroom repairing damage sustained by the hoverbike during that morning’s exploit. (The chamber in an industrial pressure die had nearly exploded at the local axle works foundry. Megamind had shown up in the nick of time to avert disaster but had had to crash land the hoverbike to do it. Ares, he’d assured Roxanne afterward, had not been involved; the culprit had been ordinary incompetence.) He was currently welding on a new body panel, his face obscured by a welding mask and his hands encased in thick leather. RUSH's Tom Sawyer was playing, although at a lower volume than Megamind would have had it if his new charge wasn't around. The hero himself had thrown aside his cloak, and Olivia had wrapped it about herself. She was sweeping impressively around the far side of the room, making a heartfelt (if completely unsuccessful) attempt at an evil laugh. Roxanne noticed a blue line sloppily marked across part of the concrete floor and the smell of wet paint that still hung in the air. Clearly, Megamind had set a limit to how close Olivia was permitted near his current task.

“Bleh! Bleh!” the little girl ran up to Roxanne, curving her fingers like claws. “I have come to suck your blood!”

Roxanne feigned appropriate horror. “Oh, no! A vampire!”

Megamind glanced at them over one shoulder, mask still in place. “I am not,” he informed them. “A vampire.”

“How come you have a vampire cape, then?” Olivia asked.

“It’s a cloak,” he answered in a slightly muffled voice, returning his attention to his work.

“What’s the difference?”

“A cape is shorter and covers only the back. It’s meant for show. A cloak covers the shoulders as well as the back and is a practical garment for warmth and concealment.”

“Okay, then how come you have a vampire cloak?”

“It’s not a— it’s a supervillain cloak.”

She stared at him. “You’re a _bad guy_?”

“No,” Roxanne was quick to explain. “He’s a very, very good guy.” She kissed Megamind on the top of his bald head.

“We’re not supposed to cross the line,” Olivia warned her.

“She’s allowed,” Megamind said. “She has special permission.”

“Because she’s a grown-up?” Olivia inquired sourly.

“Because she’s taken the Official Certified Megamind Class on Welder Safety!”

Roxanne bit back a laugh, then moved over to one of the supercomputer terminals to continue searching through the day's news for any signs of their opponent. Half her attention, however, was still on her lover and his charge. _A very good guy is right_ , she mused.

“Oh,” Olivia seemed mollified by his explanation. “If you’re not a bad guy then how come you’ve got a Dracula cloak?”

“It’s not a—” he sighed and gave up. “I used to be a bad guy, but then I learned that being good is better and bad guys always lose.”

“Come on, Megamind,” Roxanne couldn’t bear to see Olivia look at him like that. “You know that even when you were a ‘bad guy’ you were still pretty good. He used to help people, even back then,” she explained to the girl. “He made it harder for really bad people to do really bad things, and he helped people who felt like they had nowhere else to turn. Don’t give me that look, Megamind. I did a lot of research on you. I learned all about the way you helped that family find their father when they couldn’t go to the police because of their illegal immigration status, and the way you drove the Peretti Family out of Metro City after you learned they were forcing small businesses to pay exorbitant amounts for ‘fire insurance.’”

Megamind was carefully keeping his eyes on his task, but Roxanne was willing to bet he was blushing again. “Yes, well, someone had to,” he said.

Olivia stopped parading around the room to study him from a safe distance, her face screwed up with intense thought. “So, you were a good bad guy?” she asked at last.

“Yes.”

“And now your just a good guy?”

“Something like that.”

“How come you still have all your bad guy clothes?”

He finished the last seam, turned off his laser welder, and removed his mask to grin at the little girl. “Because I’m a _scary_ good guy,” he waggled his fingers at her, and she giggled. “I scare the pants off bad people!”

“You do?” she looked delighted. “Do they run down the road in their underwear?”

He snorted. “Sometimes,” he said, removing his thick gloves and replacing them with his regular ones, which had been hanging on his belt. “Alright, you can cross the line again now.”

She immediately scampered to him, jumping over the wet paint. “Is that why all your stuff looks scary, too?”

“It is.” Hooking up a small device into the hovercraft’s wires, Megamind frowned at the blinking lights it displayed, then opened a panel and began tinkering with something. A brainbot, obviously familiar with the routine, hurried over and dropped an odd-looking tool into his waiting hand. “They don’t scare you, though, do they?” he added to Olivia with a grin.

“I’m not a bad guy,” she reasoned.

“This is true.”

“They remind me of Halloween. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.”

“Mine too.” He reached deeper inside the hoverbike. “Can you bring me a wire crimper? It’s the one that looks like funny pliers. No, no, no,” he added to a brainbot. “Don’t help her. She needs to learn.”

“Is that why I’m safe here?” Olivia asked, bringing the requested tool over. “Because you're a scary good guy?”

“That’s exactly why.”

“And you won’t leave?”

“I won’t leave,” he said. “I mean, I may have to go away for a few hours sometimes— to scare bad guys, you know— but I’ll always come back.”

“Always?”

“Absolutely.”

Olivia was twisting her little fingers in the hem of Megamind’s cloak. “My mommy used to keep me safe, but then she… left.”

The room was shock-still for half a heartbeat, then Megamind sat down his tools and turned to face Olivia. He knelt and took her little hands in his.

“My mother left too,” he said. “So did my father. When I was very young.”

“Were you sad?”

“I was. I still am sometimes, but… It gets easier.”

The girl nodded. “I was sad when Mommy went to Heaven,” she hugged him. “I still am sometimes, too.”

Megamind stiffened for only the briefest second before putting both arms around the girl. “It’s alright to be sad. Whenever you are, you can come talk to me. I understand the way it feels.”

“Okay,” she moved back and studied her shoes for a moment. Turning to look at the hoverbike, she asked: “what are you doing?”

“This machine uses an ion thrust engine to stay airborne. I’m fixing one of the capacitors.”

“So it flies?”

“Yes, it flies.”

“I want to ride it!”

He chuckled. “When it’s fixed, I’ll take you up.” Catching the look on Roxanne’s face, he held up both hands. “I’ll install seat belts first!” he assured her.

* * *

“Simmons ran the plates from the car outside the Stay Suite run,” Megamind informed Roxanne after Minion had taken Olivia up to the schoolroom.

“What did he learn?”

“It’s registered to a trust, of all things—” he began.

Roxanne startled. “Wait, is it either SBF or MLS?”

“MLS. How did you know?”

Feeling suddenly cold, Roxanne explained what she’d learned about the Little Gifted School.

“So whoever hired Ares also owned my old shool,” Megamind’s brows lowered in thought. “Or perhaps attended there. Either might explain the photo, but I find the first more likely. The question is: what’s the connection?”

“Could the target be another student?”

“I doubt it. Other than Wayne and I, the other students were distinctly ordinary. As far as I’m aware, they all came from lower-income families.” He paused. “Of course, if there really was something strange going on, maybe one of them could have found out something they were never meant to know, but if so, why wait this long?” He drummed long, black-gloved fingers on the console. “It has to be someone connected with running the school," he turned toward one of the supercomputer terminals. "I can research everyone who sat on the board and see if anything turns up."

"And anyone either worth Ares' attention or able to pay his rates would have to be." Roxanne agreed. “I remember you saying that. So maybe it's not one of them, then. I would really like to find out what became of the other students. Maybe one of them reached a position of power. If I can find a list of children who attended that school, I’ll look them all up.”

“I remember the names. I can make you a list.”

“Really? After all these years?”

“I have an exceptional memory," he responded. "But don't get your hopes up. Those were some of the most stunningly ordinary children I've ever met."

He wasn't wrong.

"Ugh," Roxanne groaned two hours later, leaning back in the second office chair Megamind had purchased and rubbing her eyes. "This is pointless! None of these people match what we're looking for! Mildred McQuinn became an accountant and is divorced with two kids, her ex-husband happily remarried. Henry Euwings owns a landscaping business and spends his spare time with his bowling league. Ulysses Burke is a support tech at an interior design firm and his wife is a veterinarian... The only one who did anything even remotely extraordinary was Kimberly Bosko. She's an advocate for ADA accessibility, but she's certainly not controversial enough for someone to _assassinate_ her, especially at the sort of rates you say Ares charges."

Megamind sighed. "I seem to be facing the same issue. None of the people formerly on the Little Gifted Shool's board ever seem to have risen above mid-level jobs in the local government. Not a single one of them really impresses me as the high-roller sort.”

Roxanne blew out a frustrated breath. "So basically you're telling me that this was a waste of our time."

"No, not really. Someone might still be hiding something. And at least we've eliminated a score of possible targets," he shrugged. "It was worth looking into. And I still think there's a connection. I'd assumed that the photo was insignificant, but you discovered that there's actually a vital link. You're smart and you have good instincts. I really believe we're on the right track."

"Which leaves whoever is behind our mysterious trusts as the only lead we've got."

"Well, it's one of two, actually," Megamind glanced at her. "Think about it."

"Okay... I'm thinking, and I'm still not following you."

"Ares hasn't left his motel room. If he had, the tracker would let us know. And yet he has to be getting food and water somehow which means—"

Roxanne gasped. "Which means someone has to be working with him!"

"Exactly! I've questioned the Dragons, along with their former leaders. My suspicions were correct. Hinks had been working with Ares, and sending a package boy with supplies, although most of the Dragons didn't know it." 

"Wait, he just willingly admitted to that?" the woman asked.

"Not quite." An evil smile spread across the former villain's face. "Hinks and his confidantes weren't exactly eager to share, but I _persuaded_ them it was in their best interest. What?"

Roxanne's hands were on her hips. "Megamind!" she chastised. "That is not heroic behavior! And how did you convince the prison guards to let you do that kind of thing?!"

"Oh, they don't know about it," he waved a dismissive hand. 

" _Megamind!_ "

The blue hero grinned, but there was tension behind it. "I have to admit, that was the first time I've ever broken _into_ prison!" he said, using that bold humor of his to cover his discomfort again.

"Look," she rubbed her temple. "You have to be more careful now. What if someone had seen you? You have to think about... Well, about public relations. You can't afford to just discount people's opinions anymore."

"Dearest, I understand that. I was extremely cautious, and I didn't get too rough; just enough to be sufficiently intimidating. I reminded them that, whatever else I may be, I'm still the Criminal Mastermind. Well, that and I gave my prison uncles standing orders to deal with any dishonesty or _funny business_ with whatever force they deem necessary." He sighed as she continued to glower. "Look, I know it's not the ideal method, but we need answers. We don't exactly have unlimited time here. I had the police try first, but they couldn't get anything out of them; not a single word. Every hero has his or her strengths. Metroman had superpowers, I've got my intellect and the leverage that comes with being the Criminal Mastermind." He gave her an almost pleading smile. "I'm the scary good guy, remember? When you get down to it, that and being a supergenius are really all I've got in my arsenal. And it works. It might not be as... noble as what my predecessor did, but it _works_. Isn't that what matters?"

"I know what you're saying," Roxanne admitted, "but I worry about you. I mean, where do you draw the line between the ends justifying the means and sliding back into your old ways?"

He lifted his face to hers, a slightly ironic quirk to his lips that didn't quite match the rueful uncertainty and uncompromising openness in his eyes. "Honestly, Sweetheart? I don't know. I was raised to be a villain, and this is all new territory for me. But I'm doing my best. I don't hurt people unless I absolutely have to. I don't rob anymore. I make even greater efforts than ever to avoid bystanders being injured during my battles. But I also have to do my job, whatever that takes, and I have to keep a certain amount of fear in my reputation. Because, believe me, if the criminals of this city thought the Mastermind had gone soft, all hell would break loose." He laid a hand on one of her arms, and she dropped them from her hips, sliding her fingers reassuringly into his. He smiled softly at her. "This is a balancing act. It's not easy, and I can't pretend I don't make mistakes, but I really am trying." He paused, shrugging almost apologetically. "If you really think that approach was... too villainous, I won't use it again." His tone was blase, almost careless, but she could sense the insecurity underneath. "After the childhood I had... Roxanne, I'm broken. I know I am. There's no point in pretending otherwise. I care about people, and I want to make life better for everyone in this city, so that's my only measure for what's good. When it comes to everything else, well, my moral compass doesn't exactly point due north. Sometimes I feel like I'm flying blind," he admitted. "So, thank you. Thank you, my Love, for letting me know that what I did was crossing a line. Maybe I'll get better at this someday, but right now, sometimes I still need that."

"Oh, Megamind," Roxanne's voice caught in her throat. Her eyes felt wet. "Megamind, Sweetheart, you are not broken. You are so not broken. The mere fact that you _are_ trying so hard is proof of that." She slid one arm around him, lifted the other hand to stroke his jaw. "You can't be blamed for not knowing what you were never taught any more than someone who no one ever bothered teaching the alphabet can be blamed for not knowing how to read. Other people failed you, Megamind. You didn't fail yourself. And do you know what? You've got me now. Whenever you need a moral compass, you can use mine. I'll always be here when you need a sounding board or a second opinion. But for the record," she kissed his cheek. "I think that most of the time yours works pretty well."

He was looking at her with a sort of humble and tender disbelief as if every one of her words had been a jewel and he couldn't believe someone had showered something so precious upon him. His voice was a little rough when he spoke.

"I love you, Roxanne Ritchi."

She pressed her lips to his. "I love you too."


	24. Daylight and Dark Chapter 24 - Evil Intent

On her way down from her shower after an afternoon tryst with Megamind— ever since Olivia’s arrival they had strictly limited their amorous activities to their bedchambers— Roxanne could hear her blue boyfriend in the schoolroom singing with their new charge. “The metatarsals are connected to the tarsals! The tarsals are connected to the fibia! The fibia’s connected to the tibia!…”

She shook her head, feeling a wry smile on her face. Their little girl was becoming an encyclopedia of knowledge under his tutelage. By the time she got back to her regular school, the teachers weren’t going to know what to do with her.

She stopped suddenly, realizing what she’d just thought. _Their_ little girl. When had she started to think of Olivia as her own?

 _Stupid biological clock,_ one side of her mind practically groaned.

 _Well, what of it?_ the other side asked. _If he intends to adopt her, and I intend to stay with him, then there’s no sense in pretending otherwise._

Despite her assurances, she couldn't quite convince herself. The issue, she realized, was that having a child around _wasn't_ the issue, not exactly. It was more a culmination of, well, everything. She loved Megamind, and she was happy to be with him, but... Between the sudden responsibility for a child, her safety-induced relocation to the Lair, and the constant threat posed by Ares, Roxanne was starting to feel as if her life had spiraled well and truly out of her control. Lately, the unreasonably panicked conviction had been growing inside her that if she didn't regain some measure of self-mastery, her entire existence was going to crash and burn. 

_Breathe,_ she reminded herself. _Breathe. You're fine, everything's fine, just take one step after the other._

Downstairs, she found Minion watching the monitors for any disturbance while brainbots went about whatever task their master had set them.

“Good afternoon, Miss Ritchi! Lunch is a little simple today. We're just going to call it European. There are baguettes, cheese, fruit, pastries, prosciutto, and coffee on the table.” At Roxanne’s insistence, the occasions when their schedules demanded that meals become more like a snack bar, the menu had been extended to include something other than sweets. It wasn't only her health she was worried about; while it was clear Megamind needed more sugar than most people, no one should consume an entire pecan pie and three danishes in a single sitting.

That wasn't the part of the list her mind was focusing on at the moment, however.

 _Oh, thank God. Coffee._ That was what today needed. Roxanne had long been half-convinced that coffee could cure nearly any ill. Except cancer. And caffeine addiction.

“Hello, Minion,” she answered. "I hope you know that making afternoon coffee makes you my new hero."

"Don't tell Sir that!" the fish laughed.

"Why not? Maybe then he'll actually make the coffee now and again."

Minion shuddered. "Miss Ritchi, please believe me when I tell you that you really, really do not want that to happen."

Roxanne guffawed— _See?_ she told herself. _You can laugh so everything is okay—_ and poured herself a cup. This one bore the legend: “I Drink Coffee for Your Safety.” She retrieved one of the bottles of flavored creamer out of the mini-fridge under the table, choosing chocolate this time, and stirred in a small spoonful of sugar.

“Quiet day so far?” she asked, taking the first blessed sip.

“So far, so good!” Was that a slight hesitation in his voice?

“Anything I can help with today?”

“Ah, well, he wants you to make out a list of any personal items you need. I’m going shopping later,”

“I can do that.” She took another sip. “Do you remember anything specific about the Little Gifted School?”

He turned in his tank to face her. “Yes. I remember it was terrible.”

“Anything else? Did anyone ever visit it?”

He thought. “No, no one ever did.”

“Were there any field trips?”

“Not during the short time we were there, Miss Ritchi,” he answered. “But then we were only there for a little over two months, as I mentioned before. There may have been field trips planned for later in the year, though I doubt we would have been able to go. We were considered inmates, after all.”

She nodded, trying not to let her suspicion show on her face. Minion was being even more communicative than usual– almost as if he was glad for something to talk about. Almost as if he was glad for any subject other than… what exactly?

“So,” she asked, aiming for casual. “Other than shopping, what’s on the agenda for today?”

“I think Sir wants to give you another lesson in flying your hoverbike. Other than that I believe he has some business.”

Was that it? Was something else going wrong in the criminal underworld? Was it the Dragons again, or a new threat? No, Megamind had shared all such information with her since she’d moved in. In fact, there was only one person he seemed to feel she needed protection from…

Minion was eyeing her. “You don’t look very happy.”

“I’m just worried,” she said, hoping she could wheedle more information. “It’s been two weeks and Ares still hasn’t made his move. What if Megamind’s wrong? What if he’s figured out a way to bypass the trackers?”

“Have you… um… talked to Sir much today?”

“Not really, outside of training and, um… Well, not really about the case. We haven’t... had time.” Or rather, in what little time they had had, they had been too distracted.

“Maybe you should,” Minion wasn’t meeting her eye.

She gave him a long look. “Minion, if you know something, I want you to tell me.”

“But, Miss Ritchi—”

She held up a hand to forestall him. “I’m Megamind’s lover. I live with him. We’re working together on this case, and he’s shared a lot of his secrets with me. We are actually considering _adopting a daughter_ together. I think that qualifies me as the Lady of the House, don’t you?”

“Y– Yes Ma’am, I suppose it does.”

“Well, then,” Roxanne forced her voice to remain authoritative. God, she hated herself for doing this. “As Lady of the House, I am commanding you to tell me what you know.”

“Um,” he fiddled his mechanical fingers, looking miserable. “You know Sir has been working on a new tracking system that scans for unusual disruptions or anomalies in UHC and VHF waves?”

“He mentioned it. He’s basically trying to track the jammers themselves rather than the tracker,” she couldn’t help but smile. “That man really is a genius. I mean, it’s seemed so obvious once he told me, but I never even thought about it.” She regarded Minion. “Am I to take it that he’s had some success? Last I heard he was getting too many results.”

The device Megamind had built had turned out to be too sensitive and kept registering everything from police scanners to CB radios to communications from passing airplanes. Even an electrical storm had triggered it. The trick, her blue lover had explained, was finding a way to make it sensitive enough to pick up the “disturbance in the Force,” as he’d playfully called it, but also specific enough not to register everything else. The problem was that it was difficult when he wasn’t sure which frequency changes characterized the target radio wave anomaly. And, of course, if he had known exactly _what_ he was looking for, he wouldn’t have needed the new tracking system in the first place.

Minion seemed to relax a little. “Oh, he has, Miss Ritchi! It’s worked! He’s been refining it to look for specific types of disruptions for a while. Granted, even when he figured that part out he was still getting a lot of readings—I had no idea so many people in this city had jammers!—but last night it finally paid off. We’ve found Ares!”

“What?! We’ve found him? We’ve _caught_ him?!” She was stunned. How could Megamind have kept this from her?!

“No, I’m afraid not, Miss Ritchi,” the aquatic sidekick looked glum. “We’ve found his current location, but he’s been busy. There were a lot of oddly shaped objects stacked around his bed in the motel, with a lot of wires running to the nightstand. There were a lot of other unusual items, too— large bags, crates of bottles— and Sir managed to enlarge and enhance the images well enough for a good view.”

“Let me guess: bomb-making materials.”

Minion bobbed up and down in a fishy nod, his sharp jaws pulled into a frown. “Bags of fertilizer, bottles of acetone and nitric acid… Judging from the trash bags waiting to be taken out, he’s already put a lot of similar material to use elsewhere, but he’s kept plenty for himself. Sir says there are enough explosives in that room to blow up the whole building.”

“And Ares must be desperate enough to blow himself up with it,” she sank into a chair. “Oh, God, Minion, do you know what this means?”

“That we can’t reach him even though we’ve found him?”

“No. I mean, yes, but beyond that,” she felt sick. “We already know the Dragons weren’t the only ones helping him. Someone has to be bringing him supplies, which means that the same person could be taking finished bombs back out. It’s been two weeks. Who knows how many of those things he’s had planted around the city?”

Minion looked utterly horrified.

Roxanne continued, shaking her head in disbelief. “And now our only hope for stopping Ares is upstairs teaching a little girl about the _skeletal system?!_ Is he crazy?!”

“Of course not!” Minion, bless him, actually sounded defensive. “When Sir can’t find a solution, he focuses on something completely different and just lets the inner workings of his mind do their thing. I know it seems counterproductive, but this is how he’s come up with some of his best plans. Believe me, Miss Ritchi, he’s worried, and even if it doesn’t seem like it, he’s working on it right now.”

“You’re right, Minion. I’m sorry. That was way out of line. I know he does his best for this town. I guess I just panicked. But even so, I’ve got to talk to Megamind,” Roxanne jumped up. “We’ve got to figure this out before it’s too late. And I think I have an idea.”

* * *

“Of course, of course!” Megamind ran an agitated hand over his bald head. He’d left Olivia in the schoolroom working on a set of math problems, and joined Minion and Roxanne in the workroom for an impromptu war council. “You’re right, Love! It’s obvious, now that you say it! Ares has to have some reason for creating explosives beyond his initial target—otherwise, he would have simply detonated that one and been done—which means there is another goal here we’re not seeing! That’s the key!” he turned and began searching through the hanging notes of an idea cloud. “That’s what we need to make this all make sense!”

“The question is, how many bombs could he have created in two weeks?” asked Minion.

“Ammonium nitrate and pentaerythritol tetranitrate both take time to refine, especially under imperfect conditions, and— What? Roxanne, this is hardly funny!”

“I’m sorry,” she managed between giggles. “I’m really sorry, I think it’s the stress… It’s just… You can pronounce pentaerythritol tetranitrate but the word _school_ gives you trouble?!”

His mouth quirked wryly to one side, but something else flashed deep in his eyes for the briefest second. Was that hurt? Roxanne struggled vainly against her inane, panicked humor.

“I’m sorry… It’s really not you...” she tried to explain.

“I happen to pronounce shool exactly as suggested in Crawdrey’s _A Table Alphabeticall_!” the blue hero sniffed. “But that’s not important—”

“That’s… That’s from the early seventeenth century!” Roxanne interjected. Another hysterical laugh bubbled like indigestion. “I’m really, really, sorry," she gasped. "I’m not making fun of you… I’m not… Everything, all of this, is just getting to me… Six weeks ago I had a normal life and a normal job and a normal apartment… Now I live with a former supervillain, and a psycho killer might blow the entire city to pieces because we’re hiding his daughter upstairs… and I _love_ it… I love being here with you, unexpected motherhood and mad murder bomber and all… And that sounds so utterly insane that… I just… I feel like… Like if I don’t laugh I’m going to cry…”

Megamind studied her for a moment, and then, to his credit, subdued whatever irritation he felt with a deep breath. He focused on her, his expression a blend of tenderness and playful mischief that was all his own. “Shool,” he said pointedly. “Spee-ider. Mellon _-_ calia. La-sag-nah,” he ducked his head a little to let her see his wry smile more clearly. “Ape-art-ment. Booty-flees.”

“ _Booty-flees_?” her stomach was aching with laughter now; pure, humorous laughter without the sour edge.

“Yes, you know, flying insects with colorful wings. Bee-ooty-ful booty-flees!”

It was silly, it was absurd, and it was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. The tears in her eyes were no longer from mirth alone as she considered how much this gesture must cost him. Megamind. Her Megamind. He was the Defender of the city, and the most feared and respected person in the criminal underworld; a man who cultivated his reputation like a garden and harbored secret, aching self-consciousness over his lack of formal education. This was the smartest being on Earth, who, despite that fact, had seen his incredible abilities too often overlooked and had spent too many of his boyhood years as the butt of everyone's jokes. Yet here he was, encouraging her to laugh at him because he didn’t want her to weep. She threw her arms around him, planting kisses all over his face.

“I love you,” she said between laughing sobs. “I love you, and I love the way you pronounce things. I love everything that makes you yourself. Don’t change, Megamind. Never ever change. You’re perfect exactly the way you are.”

“I love you, too.” he crushed her to him, pressing a kiss into her forehead, and lingering to smell her hair. “And I’m here with you. We will get through this together, alright? Now, I need you to take a deep breath. Let it out slowly. That’s my girl. Do it again for me. And again. Are you feeling better?”

She nodded. “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean… I never want to hurt you.”

“I understand,” he leaned his forehead against hers. “I’m not upset. I think the pressure is getting to all of us a little, but you're new to this sort of thing, so you're feeling the strain more. I should have realized sooner, but, honestly,” he smiled warmly. "You're so accomplished at dealing with anything thrown at you that I sometimes forget this isn't all," his smile shifted to a teasing grin, " _elderly headpiece_ for you."

“I really do love the way you say things,” she chuckled, reaching up to run her fingers along his jaw, down the patch of black hair on his chin. “Even when you do it on purpose. It makes you special, unique, and I adore that about you. I love being here with you. You are my home. And I want to stay," she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Please let me stay.”

“Sweetheart, of course you can stay,” he gave an incredulous chuckle. “I _want_ you here with me, but only if that’s what you want, too.”

“I do. I really do.”

He lifted her face with a gentle hand on her chin, and she could feel his smile against her lips as he kissed her. Then he pulled her to stand beside him, one arm still wrapped around her waist so that they both faced Minion, who was busying himself with the thought clouds of hanging notes, trying desperately to give them a modicum of privacy.

Roxanne reached out to him, wordlessly flexing her hand, and Minion assented to her unspoken request by gently closing his robotic fingers around hers.

“Thank you for becoming my family,” she said.

If a fish could have blushed, Minion probably would have.

“We wouldn’t want you anywhere else, right, Sir?”

“Absolutely.” Megamind pressed Roxanne a little closer to his side. His tone became serious. “Ares is plotting something big. We need a plan,” he said, looking at his two companions.

“What’s your estimate on how many he could have made?” Roxanne asked.

“And how much time have we got?” added Minion.

“Ares is good, but he’s also wounded, and he didn’t have a full lab kit. I would say ten or twelve. There were four large bombs in the room with him, along with several sticks of dynamite—enough to destroy that building and more besides.”

“That leaves six or eight unaccounted for,” Minion said.

Roxanne’s mind was racing with an idea. “Megamind, Ares isn’t one of the children of Cronos in Greek myth, more like a grandson, right?”

“Yes.”

“And how many children is Cronos supposed to have had?”

“Six. What are you thinking, Love?”

“I meant what I said before when I was, you know, having complete hysterics. Sweetheart," she added when Megamind opened his mouth to protest. "That was one-hundred-percent pure, unadulterated, grade A quality hysterics, and I know it. Let me call it what it was." 

"Alright, fine, but only if we agree they were _excusable_ hysterics. Now, what is that beautiful mind of yours thinking?"

"I think this is connected to Olivia; it's the only thing that makes sense given the timeline and his sudden shift from focusing on his actual target. Six children of Cronos plus the god of war makes seven, and Olivia is seven years old." 

“And Ares can hardly be targeting a single kill with several bombs, but he might be planning to use them as a threat to get his daughter back! Brilliant! It fits, and it’s just the sort of thing he likes to work into his plots! You’re a genius, Roxanne!” Megamind began typing on one of the keyboards. “Ares likes symbolism, and he likes his kills to tie into something significant! I need a list of everything in this city that might be linked to one of the children of Cronos or the god Ares!”

“The Classical Art exhibit at the museum might be one location,” Minion suggested.

Roxanne nodded. “He might also target things tied to what each god represents, like the War Memorial for Ares.”

“Excellent! Let’s start building a list of possible locations! Brainbots!” he shouted, and a swarm of cyborgs obediently gathered to hover before him. “First new objective, high priority status: search all databases for locations in Metrocity relating directly or indirectly to Greek myths! Search parameters: Children of Cronos and/or God of War! Second new objective, high priority status: search the entire city for any suspicious or out-of-place objects! Scan for explosive materials and report back immediately!” The blue man dug out his cell phone and dialed. “Simmons, I need you to get a team looking for any unusual objects found in public places. Call me as soon as they find anything. Don’t do anything else, just call me...”


	25. Daylight and Dark Chapter 25 - Family Matters

Roxanne knew something was up a day later when Megamind informed her during training that they would have to reschedule practice the following day. It couldn't be about their enemy. Despite his apparent preparations, Ares had remained strangely quiet, the device Megamind had implanted forcing him to stay in one place. (Roxanne suspected his inactivity was also due in part to both his assurance that his explosive security measures would keep him safe, and to the injury Megamind had dealt him. She wasn’t sure where Megamind had injected the tracking device, but that had been a lot of blood.) Brainbot patrols had been scouring the city in a grid pattern, starting with the most likely locations, but until Ares’ bombs were located they were stuck at an impasse. The danger certainly wasn’t over, but there was little they could do.

“Why? What’s happening tomorrow?” she asked her lover.

“We have a meeting with Olivia’s new caseworker.”

“Wait, what?” she stopped cold and got thrown to the mat as her reward. “OOF! Ouch!" she rubbed the back of one shoulder. "Shouldn’t we be focused on keeping Metro City from blowing to pieces?”

“Don’t let yourself get distracted. Always focus on the fight. To answer your question, I’m focusing on that, too. I’ve got brainbots and officers looking for anything that might help us locate the bombs, and I’ve questioned members of the Dragons about anything they might know. But this is also important, and I can’t put it off any longer. Olivia’s caseworker made that very clear, and I’ve agreed to meet with her tomorrow at 9 AM.”

“ _Here_?”

“I’m not thrilled about it either,” he admitted. “But apparently she needs to see the home. Don’t worry, I’ve made arrangements. Minion is picking her up, and she’s aware she’ll have to be blindfolded during transit.”

“And this person is actually _okay_ with that?”

“Since my elevation to hero, the Lair is considered something similar to a top-secret military base. I’ve discussed it with both the social worker and her superiors. Everyone is aware this is an unusual circumstance requiring unusual concessions. She has to see the environment Olivia will be staying in, I will concede that. However, I have to keep this location hidden, and she has had to concede that. It took a few phone calls, and a little string-pulling, but we’ve come to a compromise.”

“It’s a good thing you’ve already gotten Olivia’s rooms finished. I still can’t believe you had that expensive canopy bed painted lilac!”

“She wanted a purple princess bed with lacy curtains and fairy lights, she got a purple princess bed with lacy curtains and fairy lights. Now, let’s try again! Remember to dodge sideways, don’t duck. And keep your stance balanced!”

* * *

The next morning, Minion returned at 8:55, and carefully helped a woman with a bag over her head out of the invisible car. “Please watch your step, Miss Klossner.”

“Please tell me you washed the bag,” Roxanne murmured from the side of her mouth. She was standing with Megamind on the steel platform overlooking the main floor of the Lair.

Her lover gave her a look of melodramatic horror. “Oh, I knew I was forgetting something!”

“ _Megamind!_ ” she hissed

“I’m kidding,” he chuckled softly, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. “Yes, of course, I washed the bag, You certainly reminded me enough times. Ah, Miss Klossner,” he added in a louder voice as Minion, disguised as a large blond man, removed the bag from a slightly rumpled looking woman of about forty-five. Megamind began sweeping down the metal stairs, cloak billowing behind him, and Roxanne wondered if she should warn him that there was something distinctly supervillainish about his grand entry. She decided not to risk a scene. Besides, the effect was sufficiently ruined by Olivia, in a lemon yellow dress with bright pink roses and a matching pink cardigan, bounding after him.

“Welcome to my… Home,” Megamind continued as he approached, apparently remembering just in time not to refer to the place as an Evil Lair. “I hope you didn’t find the trip too uncomfortable. Thank you for understanding the necessity of certain… precautions.”

“Of course,” the woman shook his hand, then turned to Roxanne. “Amelia Klossner,” she said.

“Roxanne Ritchi,” she shook the offered hand.

“Would you like an opportunity to freshen up before we get started, Miss Klossner?” Megamind asked.

“That would be appreciated,” the woman turned and gasped. “Where— Where did—”

“Minion,” Megamind quirked a meaningful eyebrow and gestured. “The car?”

“Oh, right! Yes, Sir!” Minion pushed a button on something that would have looked like a tiny remote if it hadn’t been for the minuscule spikes protruding from it. A black 1951 Hudson Hornet, equally spike-bedecked, appeared.

Roxanne had been in the invisible car often enough to know that little besides the chassis and woodwork remained of the original car– the leather seats, though classically styled, were modern, and the entire vehicle was brimming with technology. She had gotten used to seeing the invisible car without its light-bending invisibility shield active since moving in with her lover, but it suddenly occurred to her how odd it was. He’d built all the rest of his vehicles— from the hoverbike to the jetpack— from the ground up, but he’d once told her that he’d gotten parts of the invisible car from the abandoned Hudson Factory. (Actually, she’d once had a theory that his hideout was _in_ the old facility, based solely on the only image of the car she’d ever been able to find, and that was the first place she’d looked when she went searching for the then-villain.) Roxanne hid a smile… Megamind liked antiques, and always seemed to have a soft spot for unloved and forgotten things. It was just like him to rescue the chassis and make it whole again.

To her credit, Miss Klossner, after a shocked gasp, managed to recover herself quickly and retrieve her briefcase from the car.

“I’d heard rumors,” she looked closely at it. “It really does disappear, doesn’t it?”

“Oh no,” Minion explained. “It just bends light around itself using—”

“Minion!” Megamind warned. “Don’t answer that! I apologize,” he added to Miss Klossner, seeing her look. “The less you know about… work-related details, the better. There are some people out there that might—”

“Megamind!” Roxanne broke in, realizing he was about to start talking about the dangers of knowing too much— not the best topic of conversation if he wanted to convince this woman he was a fit guardian for a child. “Those same agencies might take issue with you revealing too much about them.” She turned to the social worker. “Suffice to say, I’ve been made to understand that this place,” she gestured and used the same words Megamind had earlier, “is deemed to be on the same level with a secret military base.”

That did the trick. The word _agencies_ might have actually been meant to indicate any sort of interested person or organization, but she could see Miss Klossner’s mind making the leap to _government_ agencies.

“Oh, of course,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to— EEEK!”

Minion had just deactivated his disguise. “What?” he asked with a shrug.

“I… I just didn’t expect…” Miss Klossner managed. “I mean, I’d seen you on television, but you looked… much smaller...” she took another deep breath.

Olivia, thankfully, chose that moment to illustrate just how _not_ scary Minion really was by skipping up to him and lifting her hands in little grabbing motions.

“Up! Up!” she demanded. Minion obeyed with a fishy grin, lifting her easily onto one mechanical shoulder. “Ha!” Olivia announced. “Now Minion and me are the tallest ones here!”

“Minion and I,” corrected Megamind with a smile.

“Minion and I,” she repeated, “are the tallest ones here.”

“Fee, fye, fo, fum!” said Minion.

“I smell the blood of an Englishman!” finished Olivia.

Miss Klossner looked like she was finally recovering. “Are there any other surprises I need to be aware of?” she asked with a nervous laugh.

And, of course, the brainbots chose that moment to make an appearance.

* * *

“More tea, Miss Klossner?” Minion asked, lifting the polished silver pot.

They were sitting in the dining room, where Minion had set out refreshments, most of which he’d made the day before. Apparently, despite the early hour, he’d decided that a meeting with a social worker called for High Tea, complete with delicate finger sandwiches, miniature quiches, and tiny iced cakes. Roxanne supposed she couldn’t blame him. She remembered his enthusiasm when Andro had suggested coming over for a meal– _we could have a celebratory dinner!_ – and realized that he longed to entertain. How many years, after all, had it been just he and Megamind? She really needed to talk to her love about having some people over when this whole Ares ordeal was finished.

“Yes, just a little more, thank you,” Miss Klossner seemed much more relaxed now, and Roxanne had to give her credit for that. It would have taken a lot longer for most people to become accustomed to the Lair and its inhabitants. Of course, the fact that Megamind and Minion regularly appeared on the news performing acts of heroism probably helped.

The social worker looked at Megamind, at Olivia, who was busy coloring, and then back at Megamind. Knowing him as well as she did, Roxanne recognized something in Megamind’s eyes that said he knew what Miss Klossner was trying to communicate, but was steadfastly refusing to take the hint.

“You know, Olivia,” Miss Klossner turned her attention back to the girl. “You don’t have to stay for this if you don’t want to.”

“But of course you’re welcome to stay if you’d like,” Megamind added. His voice managed to be all kindness and charm, despite the point he was making.

“Well, you know,” Klossner was saying. “Typically we don’t like to discuss certain things in front of the children—”

“With all due respect, Madam, this concerns her future. She has a right to be here and to offer input if she likes.” He held up a hand to forestall any objections. “Of course, as adults, we need to make the best decisions we can for our children, but those children’s opinions should still be heard and considered.”

Miss Klossner gazed at him for a moment, her face unreadable. “So,” she said after a moment, straightening a stack of papers before her. “Your profession, Mr. Mind, is Hero, is that right?”

“Just Megamind, please. The Defender of Metro City is the actual job title, but yes.”

“And you have no other profession?”

“Well, I have fingers in several businesses— merchandising and product design, mostly— but if pressed I would say Defender is my primary career now.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what does that pay?”

His smile had a slight edge to it. “Nothing, but I receive royalties from all Megamind merchandise sold, as well as from several inventions I’ve patented and licensed over the years. Then there are dividends from several very lucrative investments.” He snapped his fingers in the air, and a hovering brainbot flew nearer. Miss Klossner jumped a little at its approach.

“Show current financial status information,” Megamind commanded.

The little cyborg obeyed, projecting the requested information on a blank portion of the wall. Roxanne was glad Miss Klossner had turned around to look, thus missing her own wide-eyed look. _Wow._ She’d known Megamind had money but there were a lot of digits there…

All this time, she had had no idea she was dating one of the wealthiest men in the city, possibly the state. No wonder he was constantly offering to buy her things.

“Show primary account deposits over the last three years,” Megamind ordered. Numbers— _big_ numbers— started scrolling.

“Well,” Miss Klossner turned with a slightly stunned nod. “I’d certainly say that qualifies as financially stable.” She jotted something down on the forms in front of her. “Miss Ritchi, of course, works as a news reporter. How much do you earn?” she turned to Roxanne.

“Eighty-thousand a year,” she answered. She was the highest-paid reporter at any local station in the city, but the amount seemed rather paltry compared to Megamind’s income.

Miss Klossner wrote something else down. “And you are now Megamind’s domestic partner, is that correct? You live together?”

Roxanne lifted her chin slightly, ignoring the fluttering in her chest. “Yes, we live together now.” She didn’t miss the pleased look on Megamind’s face when Miss Klossner bent her head to write something more.

“How long have you been living together?”

 _Shit_ , Roxanne thought. “Only about two months, and we’ve been dating only a little over eight, but we’ve known one another for years.”

Miss Klossner looked uncomfortable. “Ah, yes, the um… Relationship… Was very different before, wasn’t it?” The word _kidnappings_ hung unspoken in the air.

 _Oh, no you don’t_ , Roxanne smiled. “I would say we were friends before.”

“Friends?” Miss Klossner asked slowly, obvious disbelief on her face.

Roxanne leaned forward. “Amelia— may I call you Amelia?— let’s be frank here. You and I both know that, in the past, I was known for often being Megamind’s _compulsory guest_. However, I can assure you that I was never entirely unwilling. If I had really wanted to avoid him, I could have. There are things like witness protection programs that I could have used. Do you know I never even took out a restraining order against him? I actually looked forward to it; it was the most interesting and mentally stimulating part of my life. Megamind and I had some great intellectual conversations while we waited. Now that I think about it, I’m amazed I didn’t see what a good man he was sooner. But the point is that it was all a game of sorts, and it was a great way for me to get the inside scoop on stories. It practically made my career. I’d known Megamind for perhaps a couple of weeks when I realized that he was the last person in the world who would ever willingly harm a helpless individual. Think about his record; even as a villain he limited his illegal activities to theft, vandalism, and destruction of property." Okay, so that wasn't entirely true, based on what Megamind had told her, but he'd only ever hurt criminals, and most people didn't know about it. "You can look at every second of news footage, and you will never see him actually injure anyone. All those scary-looking contraptions were just for show… I was never in any real danger, never actually frightened, and we both knew it. It was all staged, every bit of it, like a play production to draw Metro Man out. I’m honestly surprised he never figured out that I was in less danger with Megamind than I was walking down the street at night.”

“You were never in any danger walking home,” Megamind assured her. “I saw to that personally.”

“See?” Roxanne turned back to Miss Klossner. “Friends. Do you know, I once asked him to loosen the bonds because I’d hurt my shoulder the weekend before helping a friend move, and he not only untied me completely but told Minion to turn everything off because we were rescheduling. Then he gave me a pain reliever and offered me a massage. I should have taken you up on that,” she added to Megamind. “I would have found out what a great masseuse you were sooner. But I was stupid and thought it was some sort of trick. I mean, who expects an evil genius to do something that nice? The next time I was going to help someone move, almost two years later, a truck and movers showed up to do it. They said they’d already been paid by an anonymous well-wisher. My friend was completely blown away, but I think… I think a part of me always knew who’d done it, even if I didn’t really believe it at first. Now I’m sure.” She grinned back at Megamind, who was blushing.

“Yes, well, someone had to help you,” he said. “I still can’t believe that Metro Man, with his super strength and speed, didn’t offer.”

“He means well, but was never as thoughtful as you are.” Roxanne smiled fondly. “Then there was the time you stopped in the middle of an evil plot to get a cat out of a tree.”

“That little boy was crying!” Megamind protested, blushing darker. “He was refusing to leave the area without Mr. Fluffikins! He could have been hurt! What else was I supposed to do?!”

Roxanne gave him her patented you-don’t-fool-me smile. “And of course you learned said cat’s name.”

“Well… You know…” he shrugged. “I did have to call it…”

“Speaking of Metro Man,” said Miss Klossner, “My understanding is that you, Megamind, were responsible for his death, but it appears any charges were dropped. You can understand how someone having that sort of history might cause some concern.”

“Have you spoken to official channels?” Megamind asked.

“Yes. All they said was that the case was dropped because, and I quote, _no crime was committed_. But the whole city saw that broadcast.”

Roxanne and Megamind glanced at one another. “And have you spoken to your superiors?” Megamind asked.

“Yes, they’ve told me to drop it, but surely you can understand—”

“Miss Klossner, are you using any recording devices?”

“Wha— no… Why would I?”

“Good. I want you to understand that this is strictly— and I do mean _strictly_ — off the record. People at the top are aware, but it is not something that is ever meant to be public knowledge. Sharing this information could cause a great deal of trouble, and not only for you. Do you understand? Excellent. Roxanne told you that I’m very good at putting on a convincing show. That is absolutely true. I also happen to be quite good at hiding things— how many years did some of the best investigators in the country look for this place?— and at making things. Now I’m going to tell you something else: superheroes cannot simply retire. So, if Metro Man decided to hang up his cape, well… He’d need to disappear, wouldn’t he? I think you can fill in the blanks.”

Roxanne had to fight not to laugh. Megamind knew Metro Man as well as she did. The interpretation his words lent themselves to was one the former hero wouldn’t like. If Miss Klossner talked, he would be so offended by Megamind taking credit for the “brilliant plan” of faking his death (and framing Megamind in the process) that he was certain to react before he thought. Most likely that would involve a public statement announcing that it had been _his_ idea, thank you very much, which, of course, would serve Megamind’s purposes just as well. That was the problem with superpowers, Roxanne mused. A person could become so reliant on a few special tricks that they forgot about more mundane things like insight and strategy.

Amelia Klossner was staring at Megamind. “You... You’re saying—”

“I’m saying absolutely nothing,” Megamind interjected calmly. “ _Because I agreed not to_. And I’m trusting you not to say anything, either. We both know,” he added, leaning forward with a conspiratorial look. “How poorly many people in this city would react.”

“Oh, I… Yes, of course.”

He gave her a warm, private smile. “Then I believe we understand one another.”

Roxanne felt a tingle of pride. My, but her lover could really turn up the dark charm when he wanted to.

Miss Klossner cleared her throat. “Yes, um…” she looked at her papers. “I’ve seen the living quarters— all satisfactory— but I noticed there is also a large workspace downstairs. I need to know… I assume there are some dangerous things there, given the nature of your work?”

“Oh, I’m never allowed in the workroom without Mr. Megamind,” Olivia piped up. “I’m not allowed in the lab either.”

“Lab?” Miss Klossner looked at Megamind.

“With all of the latest safety standards and equipment,” he answered.

“If you think about it,” offered Roxanne. “It’s really no different from someone having a woodworking shop or a repair garage on the premises. Those contain dangerous things, too, but if a parent used them to earn a living, and ensured children were kept out, you wouldn’t object to that, would you?”

Klossner actually smiled. “No, I guess I wouldn’t. For the record, because I know I’ll be asked, what precautions are in place to keep Olivia out of those areas unattended?”

“Among other things, there are the brainbots,” answered Megamind. “They’re constantly on guard, and have standing orders to protect anyone in this family. I’ve updated that programming to include keeping Olivia away from the workroom and lab unless one of us is with her.”

“Very good. How about hygiene?”

“I believe Olivia can answer that. Livy, what are our rules about hygiene?”

The girl stood up as if she were reciting in class. “Take a bath every day. Always wash everywhere, including behind your ears and between your toes, even though it tickles. Brush your teeth twice a day, and that means flossing and mouthwash, too. Brush your hair every morning and night. Just be glad you have any,” she added in a fair imitation of the blue hero. “Wash your hands whenever you use the necessary— that's what Mr. Megamind calls the potty— and before every meal. And any time you touch anything like garbage or dirt or something. Scrub under your nails. Never pick your nose because it’s gross. Wear clean clothes every day, even socks and underwear. But I always do that anyway. I don’t want to be the stinky kid, like Matt Gordon.”

“Olivia!” Megamind crossed his arms. “That was not nice!”

“But it’s true!”

“You know," Roxanne offered, remembering words her mother had said long ago. "Just because something is true doesn’t mean it needs to be said. Sometimes people can’t help the way they are, so it's wrong to make fun of them for it."

"Why?"

"Because it's bullying," Megamind explained. "And what have I told you about bullying?”

“That it’s mean, and I should never do it.”

“And why is that?”

“Because bullies are bad guys!”

“And what do I do to bad guys?”

“You scare the pants off them and haul them to jail!” Olivia said triumphantly.

“That’s right,” he grinned.

“You go: ‘RAWR! I’m Megamind!’ and then they go: ‘Oh, no! Mommy!’ and run away without their pants!”

“Uh, I suppose that’s a… fair assessment?”

Roxanne bit her lip for self-control. Her lover was receiving something that her cousin Theresa had once called: “one of parenting’s surprise lessons.” Children will, in fact, misinterpret and repeat literally anything you say.

Miss Klossner was actually laughing. “It seems you have verbal discipline pretty well in hand. Do you ever use physical discipline? On someone other than the 'bad guys,’ I mean.”

“It’s never come up. Olivia is well-behaved, and given her… recent situation… I would not feel it was appropriate. If necessary, I would prefer standing her in a corner or sending her to her room. I hope nothing more than that will ever be required, but if it is, that’s something Roxanne and I will have to discuss.”

“Yes,” Klossner’s eyes softened. “I read the report. The… background… and the most recent… unpleasantness… That’s why she’s currently under your protective custody, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And do you like it here, Olivia?”

“Yes, Ma’am. I love it here!”

“I don’t suppose you have other children to play with. Do you watch a lot of television? Play a lot of video games?”

“No, Ma’am. We don’t have a TV.”

“You don’t—” Miss Klossner looked at Megamind.

“We’ve got a library, though!” Olivia put in. “Mr. Megamind says books are better than TV anyway. He buys me all the books I want. On Saturday, I get to watch cartoons on the window in the family room—”

“On the… Window?”

“The rest of the time we read. Right now, Mr. Minion is reading me The Hobbit. He does the voices and everything! I draw a lot, and play hide and seek with the brainbots. And I play pretend, too! I’m really good at being a Pterosaur. Want to see?”

“Do you mean a Pterodactyl?”

“Pterodactyls,” Olivia informed her, “aren’t a real thing. The closest one is Pterodactylus, and Pterodactylus is just a type of Pterosaur. There’s also Aetodactylus, Moganopterus, and a whole bunch of others. Mr. Megamind taught me all about them.”

“That’s a little above her grade level,” said Miss Klossner, turning to Megamind.

He shrugged. “She’s a smart girl. I don’t believe in restraining intellect. Curiosity ought to be encouraged.”

Miss Klossner nodded. “It says here that you’ve withdrawn her from school and are currently homeschooling her?”

“Given the situation, I felt it was safer.”

“I do lots of homework,” announced Olivia. “But that’s okay because I like it. I’m going to be super smart like Mr. Megamind! I’m going to be an astrophysicist,” she pronounced the word with deliberate care, “and help build spaceships. Or maybe I’ll play violin in a rock band.”

“I don’t think people really play violins in rock bands,” Miss Klossner was clearly trying to let Olivia down gently.

“Elyghen does.”

“Who’s Elyghen?”

“He plays in Elvenking,” Megamind explained. At the social worker’s look, he added. “It’s a folk metal band. And as for you,” he scooped Olivia up into his arms. “Why don’t you do both?”

“Can I? Can I do both?”

“You,” he touched a finger to her nose, “can do anything. If you want to learn violin, I’ll hire a teacher.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow if you like. We’ll need to get you an instrument, too.” He turned toward a brainbot. “You! Start running search crawlers on quality violins available nearby. Report on terminal three by seven tonight.”

“Well, I certainly like your attitude toward education. Do you mind if I take a look at your curriculum?” Miss Klossner asked Megamind.

“Not at all! Follow me, it’s in the sh– schoolroom.”

“You’ve already made a schoolroom?”

“Of course,” Megamind answered, standing up. “Genius needs a place to work!” he cast a sidelong smile and a wink at Olivia, who beamed.

“Can I— I mean _may_ I show her my new book bag?”

“Yes, you may.”

The girl turned to regard the social worker. “It’s got sparkles and rainbows on it,” she said impressively and bounded out of the room.

“Why does she need a book bag to be homeschooled?” Klossner, following Megamind to the door, sounded bewildered.

“Because she wanted one.”

* * *

“I think that went really well,” Megamind told Roxanne after Minion, once again disguised, drove away with Miss Klossner.

“There were a few touchy moments, but I think you won her over.”

“ _We_ won her over.”

She kissed him. “We did.”

 _Minivans and mom-jeans_ , the voice in her head, that personification of worry and self-doubt, sneered.

_Shut up._

She wasn’t going to listen. This was a big change, but they were making it work, and they would keep making it work. Right here. In the Lair. While he performed his heroic duties and she went back to being a top reporter.

“Well, Livy,” Megamind was saying. “I’m afraid I can’t cook like Uncle Minion. Does a peanut butter and jelly sandwich sound alright for lunch?”

“With grape jelly?”

“Is there any other kind with peanut butter?” he grinned.

“Okay!” She agreed. “And with chocolate milk, too?”

“Hmmm… I don’t know… I didn’t hear the magic word.”

Roxanne smiled. For a former supervillain, who at one time had never so much as considered saying things like "please," "thank you," and "I’m sorry," he was certainly turning into a stickler for manners.

Maybe adopted fatherhood was good for him.

“May I have chocolate milk, too, please?” the girl was asking.

“Absolutely!” Megamind smiled. "And afterward we'll bring your homework to the workroom. Miss Roxanne and I need to finish a few things, and I think you're big enough to work downstairs like a professional, grownup lady. How does that sound?"

"May I wear a tie?"

He laughed. "I have a few you can choose from."


	26. Daylight and Dark Chapter 26 - Crime and Punishment

Minion had taken Olivia upstairs to bed— the latter protesting with a yawn that she wasn’t tired— and Megamind and Roxanne were finishing up some things in the workroom.

“Nothing interesting so far,” Megamind said, watching the monitors. Each displayed multiple windows of night-vision footage, save for one where he was comparing violins. “What do you think of a Cremona? Oh, or here’s one made by Lionel LeLeux. They’ve got a Scott Cao, too.”

“You realize I have no idea what you’re talking about, right?”

“Violin makers. Some of the best.”

“She is just a beginner, Megamind.”

“True, but logically learning to play on a quality instrument will help her become a quality musician. What if I buy her something cheaper and the tone is a little off? How is she supposed to learn if she’s not receiving accurate feedback from the sounds produced?”

“Megamind?”

“Hmmm?”

“Look at me.”

He turned to face her, and she rose onto her toes to kiss him thoroughly.

“What was that for?”

“For being the kindest, sweetest, most generous man I’ve ever met.”

He grinned. “Careful, Miss Ritchi. I might get a big head.”

Roxanne swatted him with a laugh.

An alarm sounded.

“So much for a quiet night!” Megamind didn’t sound even slightly disappointed. “Armed robbery at Dahlmann Brothers Jewelers on the corner of Fifteenth and Main! Big mistake! I’ve _told_ them small businesses are off-limits! Either these guys are from out of town, or…” he shook his head. “Roxanne,” he paused. Meeting her gaze seemed to be difficult. “You told me once that you wanted to see all of me, even the darkest parts. I need to know: are you still sure about that?” 

“Completely.”

"You were good enough to call me out about the way I dealt with Hinks, and I would like you to be my moral compass again," he explained, pulling on his black battle attire over his habitual undersuit. "But I also need you to understand that sometimes keeping control of the criminal element in this city forces me to do some unsavory things."

"I do understand that. My biggest issue with Hinks was that he was _already behind bars_. Adding a beating on top of jail time is like doubling the punishment."

He gave her a wry, humorless laugh. "Clearly, Love, you're not familiar with prison life. It's a savage existence with hardened men fighting for their place in the hierarchy, and beatings are a regular part of that."

"Right, yes, I'd heard, but I... didn't think." She paused in zipping her own protective top and turned a concerned expression toward him. "Were you... Did anyone ever hurt you that way?"

"Some tried, but not for a very long time; not since I became the Criminal Mastermind."

“What about your uncles?”

“They protected me when I was small, but around age twelve they began backing off… Told me I needed to start learning to fend for myself.”

“Ah,” sudden understanding bloomed in Roxanne’s mind.

“Ah, what?”

“That’s about the same time you took up with Ares. That’s part of why you attached yourself to him.”

“No, not really. It might have almost been more excusable if I had. But by that time I’d already escaped prison a couple of times, caused a few serious problems for city officials, battled Metro Boy, as he was called back then, and engineered several devices of destruction. I already had a reputation for wicked genius and half-crazed unpredictability. Plus, whenever someone tried me, I gave back as good as I got, sometimes better. So even though I looked like easy prey, most people quickly learned not to mess with me.”

“Half-crazed? You’re not half-crazed.”

“No, I’m not, but I worked hard to ensure that everyone thought I was back then. It kept me safe. By the time I was sixteen, when other prisoners saw me coming, they stepped aside to let me pass.”

"Is it weird for me to say I'm glad?" she asked, lacing up her boots.

“Not at all. None of us want to think about people we care for being hurt. But being the Criminal Mastermind comes at a price. I’m warning you now: tonight could be ugly.”

“Megamind, when I said I wanted to share your whole life, I meant it.”

He took a deep breath through his nose, blew it out, then turned on his evil smile. “Well, then, care for some excitement?”

* * *

  
“I’m just curious,” Roxanne shouted above the noise of the wind as they raced the hoverbike toward the scene. “Since you’re a hero now, you would still be showing up, even if this robbery was at a big box store, right?”

“Yes, I’m a hero now!” He called back. “That means I’m meant to protect the ones who need it! These people are waving guns around, so yes, I’d show up no matter what!”

“What if they weren’t?”

“Come again?”

“What if they weren’t waving guns around? What if some guy got caught pocketing a diamond necklace, and told them he needed the money to feed his kids?”

“Then they’d call the cops, not me! You don’t bring a bazooka to a knife fight!”

“But what if the brainbots saw it and no one else did? And that’s what he told you when you caught him?”

“I told you, I’m a hero!” He threw a troublemaker’s grin back at her. “I protect people, not the law, people!”

“And that means what?”

“Summum ius, summa iniuria!”

“What?”

“Summum ius–”

“I heard you, but what does it mean?”

“The more laws, the less justice! Cicero!” He banked right hard, flying between to buildings, and she clutched his shoulders a little tighter. They neared their location and he slowed the speed, allowing him to be heard without shouting. “I’m not sworn to uphold the law, Roxanne, I’m sworn to protect the people of Metrocity. Those are two different things. My focus is less on what’s legal and more on what’s right. Of course, since I’m in the public eye, I try to work within the law as much as I can, but if those two things conflict, right will always beat lawful in my book. It’s why I still run the underworld in this city: because it allows me to set limits, curb the most dangerous criminal activity. That might not be legal, but it does keep people safe.”

“I think I understand. So that’s what you meant about small business being off-limits? That’s one of the rules?”

“Yes,” he’d begun circling low, clearly looking for the perpetrators. “Small businesses are part of their local communities, so hurting them hurts the community as a whole. The people running them are usually just trying to follow a dream and make ends meet. Huge chain operations can afford to have insurance on all of their merchandise— did you know a lot of big stores won’t even stop a shoplifter?— so losing some of it means little or nothing to them. I’m not saying it’s right, but… sometimes desperate people do desperate things. So if I catch someone stealing because they’ve lost their job and they’re about to lose their home, I’m apt to be more merciful, even give them some cash and help them find employment. If I find a stupid teen stealing just for the thrill, I’m most likely to terrify them half to death and send them home with a warning. No sense in ruining a child’s entire life because they made one poor decision in a moment of adolescent idiocy. If they do it again, though, I let them take the consequences. However, my reaction to someone stealing out of pure greed, who could do better and isn’t trying, will be far less friendly. If they break my rules while doing it, things get really unpleasant. Of course, there are also professional thieves. If they break my rules… well, that’s when things get messy. The same with gang members. Metrocity is my turf.”

“Is that why we’ve had some of the country’s lowest violent crime rates for more than a decade?”

“That’s why.”

“And everyone always gave Metro Man the credit. That must have stung.”

She felt him shrug. “I didn’t care who the general public credited for it, so long as it happened.”

She tightened her arms around him. “That’s what makes you a hero, you know? I think maybe you always were one.”

“Bite your tongue!” he said with a laugh.

“So what happened to the carjacker, then?”

“Nothing gets past you. I didn’t throw him to the sharks if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“But?”

“But I did make my displeasure extremely clear. I seriously doubt he’ll ever pull a gun on an unarmed citizen again… Not in Metrocity.”

“My sources at the station said he had to go to the hospital before he went to jail.”

“He fell out of a moving car.”

“He fell? How?”

“Because I broke the window and jerked him out right before I jumped in and took the wheel. Like I said: I made my displeasure clear. I know, I know, it wasn't exactly heroic, and maybe I shouldn't have done it. But I can't be everywhere at once. If I don't _firmly discourage_ that kind of behavior the first time, it will happen again, and the next time some poor innocent bystander could get hurt. I’ve told you before, Roxanne, my interactions with you were always more like teasing, but I don’t keep control over this city’s entire criminal underworld by playing games. I hate being violent, I do, but if I have to back up my threats, I will. I’ve been helpless, been on the receiving end of cruelty, and if making myself the monster in the shadows keeps other people from going through that, then I’m willing to do it. But I rarely kill. Only when it’s absolutely necessary, and when the person is so… irrevocably twisted, so completely broken, that there’s no hope of reformation. That’s one line I never willingly cross.”

“And that is precisely why you’re not a monster,” she hugged him tight again. “You never have been.”

“This doesn’t bother you?”

“Maybe it should bother me more than it does, but... I understand. I get why it's necessary. You do what you have to, and clearly you get results. Metro City is consistently ranked among the safest urban centers in America. I mean, this past year, 2010, there were only ten violent crimes reported! Ten! A lot of people don’t even lock their doors. How many big cities can you say that about? So I know you're only doing what you have to. I just want you to remember always to be _just_ while you do it.”

“I try my best, Sweetheart. I’ve had to work harder these past months to keep those numbers down. Certain groups seem to think my becoming Defender of Metrocity means I’m going soft, and they’ve been pushing. I’ve had to push back.”

“And that’s my point… You’re making sure the city is still safe. I can’t really argue too much with your methods when the work, just as long as you're not crossing certain lines.”

“That's why I want you with me: to keep me honest. There's hardly any point in preventing violent crimes if I become the worst perpetrator. We do have a history of very high rates of property damage, though.”

“With you and Metro Man having battled one another in the streets for years, that’s hardly a surprise.”

A brainbot flew up alongside them, making that odd mechanical barking noise. Words flashed across its glass dome.

“Found them!” Megamind’s crowed, and, revving the hoverbike into a higher gear, went into a dive after the little cyborg.

Predictably, the three men tried to run, but it’s hard to lose pursuit from the air. 

No, not men, Roxanne realized. Two of them were only boys, perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old. The third, in the lead, was grown. As she watched, he threw aside a canvas bag. A pursuing brainbot snatched it and headed back in the opposite direction.

Megamind sped up, careening around a building to cut the thieves off as they raced down another alley. Without warning, he threw the craft into hover mode, and threw himself off, nearly landing on the lead man. His De-Gun was suddenly in his hand, and two quick blue flashes later, the two boys had been replaced by glowing cubes. Megamind slammed the grown man back against the alley wall and pressed the De-Gun under his chin.

“Gunner Ingram,” his voice was dangerously calm, its tone so deep it seemed to vibrate the air. “Your trigger finger got you into trouble this time.”

“Can you help Mommy down?” Roxanne whispered to the nearest brainbot. It hooked two mechanical arms under her shoulders and lowered her with surprising gentleness.

“I didn’t kill nobody!” Gunner was saying. Up close, he was a wiry young man in his early- or perhaps mid-twenties. Shaggy dishwater blond hair fell around his chin, and a neck tattoo peeked out from under his long-sleeved Juggalo t-shirt and leather jacket. Roxanne squinted. The jacket had an emblem on the shoulder depicting a skull surrounded by flames. Why was that familiar?

“Oh, but you tried. Wounded one in the arm, nearly hit another... You pulled a gun— pulled it and fired it— in a location under my protection, on my turf. You shot at someone off-limits under my rules, and only your terrible aim saved you from committing an even worse infraction.”

“Ain’t your turf no more. You gone soft!”

There was a blur of motion, and Gunner was suddenly on the ground at Megamind’s feet. Roxanne was almost certain it had been a variation on one of the moves her blue boyfriend had taught her. The hero holstered his weapon as he stalked with liquid grace around his captive.

Thanks to years as an investigative reporter, Roxanne's mind instantly noted details, and one stood out. It was the logo on the back of the man’s jacket—a larger version of the one on his shoulders, but bearing the addition of the words: Ghost Riders.

That was why the symbol had been familiar. The Ghost Riders were the largest biker gang in the area.

“Gone soft?” Megamind was saying. His voice was little more than a whisper, but it dripped cold venom. “Oh, have I?”

Gunner started to push himself up, but Megamind’s boot came down hard between his shoulders, knocking him back to the ground.

“You will rise when I tell you to rise,” he growled in that deadly calm tone. 

Unbelievably, the younger man struggled to free himself. “You’re gonna regret this!” he growled. “You ain’t the scariest one in town no more!”

“Ares,” Megamind sneered. It wasn’t a question. “What did he promise you, that he’d have your back? That he’d support a bid to take over the Riders if you helped him out? Look around you, boy. Where is he?” To Roxanne’s shock, Megamind actually called out. “Ares! Areees! Come out, come out wherever you are!” He paused. “Oh, good heavens!” he said in mock surprise. “He doesn’t seem to be here! Why, I do believe you’ve been played!”

Gunner had stopped struggling. Clearly, the same thought had occurred to him.

When he spoke again, his voice had changed from threatening to wheedling. “I ain’t done nothing, Mastermind. Honest!”

The next moment, Megamind had flung him against the wall again. Gunner wasn’t able to regain his footing fast enough, and the back of the young man’s head hit the brick. It sounded like it hurt.

“You lie to me?” Megamind’s face was inches other man’s. “First you break my rules, and then you _lie_ to me?”

“I didn’t do nothing!”

“You’re quite right. You 'didn’t do nothing' because you _did_ do something!”

“You can’t prove—”

“I HAVE BRAINBOT FOOTAGE OF YOU ROBBING DAHLMANN BROTHERS TONIGHT!” Megamind roared, the coolly dangerous facade suddenly gone. “AND YOU WERE STUPID ENOUGH TO DO IT WEARING YOUR COLORS!”

He let go of Gunner so fast the young man nearly fell, Megamind’s hand darted to his holster again. He flicked the De-Gun against his chest to send the cylinder spinning, snapping his wrist to stop it in a practiced motion.

Gunner darted sideways and took one running step.

Megamind fired.

Glowing blue energy crackled around the young man, imprisoning him. He jolted and strained, either in an attempt to escape or from the initial shock of electricity. Roxanne was fairly certain Megamind had just used the Debilitate setting on his gun. She’d never seen it in action before

“Now,” Megamind’s voice was back to that terrifying calmness as he strode toward Gunner. The younger man panted, tracking his adversary's progress with wide eyes. He moved his head in desperate, jerking motions, but the rest of him remained rigidly still. Reaching into his pocket, Megamind flicked something out. Gunner twitched a little as if he would have jumped at the movement if he’d been able.

It was only Megamind’s cellphone. He casually scrolled through his contacts as if he had all the time in the world, selected one, and set the phone to speaker. After four rings a gruff man’s voice picked up.

“Mastermind! It ain’t the third of the month yet, so I’m betting this ain’t about the meeting. I guess it’s too much to hope you’re calling to finally take me up on the offer of a drink?”

“Nothing so neighborly, I’m afraid, Reaper.”

“Aw, shit. What’s happened?” 

“One of your men—and I use that word in the loosest sense—thought it might be fun to attack a business under my protection, and he has done so wearing his jacket—”

“WHAT?!”

“...So I’m afraid I have the ask the unpleasant question: was this little escapade sanctioned?” Megamind finished.

“No! Hell no!”

“I didn’t think so. Another unfortunate inquiry I’m forced to make: have you inducted any underage members lately? You’re… man had two teenage boys with him.”

“Of course not! We got some kids we look out for, but I know the rules. Nobody under eighteen joins without your say-so, and nobody who ain’t joined gets involved! Who did this?! Who the fuck would be this damned stupid?!”

“Gunner, say hello to your boss.”

“Reaper I ain’t done nothing!” Obviously, Gunner could still speak.

“You ain’t done nothing. Shit. What did the hell did he do, Mastermind?” Reaper asked in a growl.

“He robbed an off-limits business at gunpoint. Fired shots. I have the footage.”

“I didn’t know!” Gunner wailed.

Reaper sounded like an angry bear now. “The fuck you didn’t!”

“You understand, of course, that his actions have penalties,” Megamind continued politely. “I’m calling as a courtesy because I respect you and I like the way you run things, but I’m also calling because, as he’s one of yours, you and the Riders will have to do your part to clean up his mess. First, I’m letting you know that little Gunner here has fallen in with some bad company, an old enemy of mine named Ares,” the blue man turned his bright green eyes toward his captive. “He’s not someone to be trifled with, and he’s been using this dim-witted boy of yours a to run explosives—” 

Gunner’s eyes grew wide with panic, and Roxanne could see the thought crossing his face: _how did he know_? Of course, Roxanne understood, Megamind hadn’t truly known; it had been an educated guess. And the biker had just given himself away.

“I expect you to find out exactly where the finished bombs have been planted,” Megamind continued, his full attention back on the phone conversation.

“It’s as good as done.” 

“Good. I know I can count on you. Second, if Ares has turned one of your minions there may be others. I highly advise you to sniff out the traitors.” 

“Oh, trust me, Mastermind, that’s already on my to-do list.”

“Excellent. Lastly, as a sign of my continued goodwill toward the Riders in general, I’m offering you the option to deal with this internally rather than my dealing with it personally.”

He didn’t want her to see, Roxanne realized. He couldn’t just take Gunner to jail like he did the Dragons— if he did, they might never find out the bombs’ locations in time— but he also couldn’t simply let him walk free. Someone had to make an example of Gunner, and her lover didn’t want her to have to watch him hurt this stupid, pathetic young man.

She’d told him before that she wanted to participate in every aspect of his life. This was the moment of truth. Could she be a party to this most brutal element of his existence?

“That’s a real generous offer, Mastermind,” Reaper was saying. “And much appreciated. But you know what? Nah. He’s really fucked up this time. If he thinks he’s a big man now, big enough to act out on his own, he can take a big man’s punishment. He’s all yours. Send me his location when you're done, and I’ll have a couple of my boys come pick up whatever’s left of him. I’ll find anybody else involved, and take care of them on my end. And Mastermind? Come on by for that drink any time.” The line went dead.

Megamind looked over his shoulder, motioning to a nearby brainbot, which darted to the saddlebags on the hoverbike. That was only a ruse, however. His gaze caught on Roxanne’s for just a moment, and in those brief seconds, they shared an entire silent conversation. 

Megamind spoke with his eyes. Something in that look communicated as loudly as a scream that he was about to hurt Gunner very, very badly. _Is this too much?_ his eyes asked. _Is it too far?_

 _This man attempted murder,_ Roxanne considered carefully. _He sided with Ares, even knowing what sort of person he is. He’s been planting bombs, and this is necessary if we want to know where those bombs are. He isn’t a boy; he’s a criminal who’s proven he has the potential to be dangerous. This is one of those situations that could snowball quickly if he isn’t made an example of. And then how many other people will get hurt? This is the second local gang Ares has infiltrated. Hinks and his cohorts are safely in prison; they can’t keep causing trouble themselves, but that didn’t stop this man. And there will be others if we don’t send a message. No. This is one time when the Criminal Mastermind needs to show beyond doubt he is still in control._

Swallowing hard, she shook her head very slightly, trying to tell him with her own expression that understood the necessity, and that this was, in all likelihood, the lesser evil. She hoped she looked more confident than she felt.

He nodded almost imperceptibly, and his gaze softened slightly, projecting another message. _You don’t have to see this_.

No, she wasn’t going to give the green light and then hide from what she’d done. She wasn’t going to walk away from the man she loved, make him feel like this part of his reality frightened her, disgusted her, repulsed her. Fighting not to let the nervous nausea building in her stomach show on her face, Roxanne tried to convey to him that she accepted him, all of him, and that they were in this together.

The blue man nodded again and reached up with one hand. The returning brainbot obediently slipped something over his glove—the metal gauntlet she’d once seen him wear when he fought Titan. Before him, his captive made a small, frightened sound. 

“Well, well, Gunner,” Megamind purred in a tone of sharp ice and cold steel. “I believe we need to have a little discussion about the rules.”

Gunner turned pleading eyes to Roxanne.

 _Moment of truth,_ she reminded herself, steeling her resolve. _Megamind. This is Megamind,_ the reporter put all her will behind the thought. _This is the same man who quotes Shakespeare and dances with me around the living room and draws funny sketches just to make me laugh. The same man who took in a little girl he’d never met because he couldn’t stand to watch another child suffer like he did. The man who plays fetch with his cyborgs and built his talking fish a freaking bedroom. This is the man who has seen all my mess and drama, and still loves me. He’s a good person who sometimes has to do bad things. Because this, right here, right now, is the reason our city is so safe. This is the price he pays so other people don’t have to. And he’s trusting me… He’s asking me to set limits and trusting me to know what needs to be done. He’s showing me the darkest part of himself and trusting me not to run away. I can do this. For Megamind, I can do this._

Forcing her mind to refocus on the fact that this young man had shot someone, had actually joined Ares' plan to kill dozens of innocent people, she met his gaze with what she hoped was a stony expression.

“What are you looking at me for?” she asked, proud of how firm and unwavering her voice sounded. “I’m not going to help you. I’m with the Mastermind, remember?” 

_Minivans and mom-jeans, huh?_ A small, dark part of her told the fretful little voice in her head. _How’s this for minivans and mom-jeans?_

Megamind threw her a quick smile over his shoulder, an expression of mingled pride, fondness, and the barest edge of something sad. His features hardened again as he turned back toward Gunner.

“Do you know why they call me the Master of All Villainy?” he asked in the same tone he might use to inquire about the weather. “Because I rule the underbelly of this city. And do you know why?” he flexed his metal gauntlet, drawing nearer to the man. “Because under me, everybody wins. Everybody profits. My rules exist for a reason. They keep us under the radar, away from inconvenient attention, and a lot of people—including the Ghost Riders—make a lot of money because of it.” 

He slowly scraped one metal-clad finger along the wall, stopping just beside the younger man’s left ear. 

“Do you remember the rules, Gunner?” he asked conversationally.

“Ye– Yes...”

“Hmmm.” Megamind tapped his finger against the brick, three loud clinks that made Gunner’s face flinch. “No,” Megamind continued. “No, you know, I really don’t think you do.”

His arm moved in a blur, and Gunner choked on a groan, doubled over as much as the imprisoning energy would allow.

“You do _not_ steal from small businesses!” Megamind spat. His fist lashed out again, snapping Gunner’s head to the side. “You do _not_ target people under my protection!” A third punch splattered Gunner’s nose into a bloody mess. “You do _not_ shoot unarmed citizens!” His fist split the younger man's lip. “You do _not_ induct underage gang members without my approval!” The next blow slammed into Gunner's right shoulder with a loud, sickening crack. The man screamed. “You do _not_ ally yourself with my enemies!” This time one of Gunner’s ribs snapped. “You do _not_ lie to me!”. Another rib broke. “And you do _not!_ ” He backhanded him. “ _Ever!_ ” He slapped him. “ _USE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AGAINST MY CITY!_ ” The last punch sent more blood and several teeth flying.

Gunner sagged as much as his bonds would allow, wheezing and whimpering. With deceptive gentleness, Megamind used his gauntleted hand to lift the other man’s face.

“Now,” he asked, his voice once again waspishly soft. “Do you have any questions? No? Good.”

He let the man’s head dropped. And pressed something on his De-Gun. The entrapping energy dissipated, and Gunner crumpled to the ground. Two metallic objects pinged on the pavement. Megamind scooped them up and clicked them into the front of his weapon. The biker whimpered as Megamind drew close again, but the blue man only searched his pockets, drawing out a hand gun. Removing the cartridge, he tossed the firearm to the ground several feet away, drew out his own weapon, and changed the setting. There was a flash and a retort, and Gunner's pistol was replaced by a scattering of metal scraps and a charred mark on the pavement. With an almost careless air, Megamind holstered the De-Gun, removed the gauntlet, hung it on his belt, and dug out his cell phone. He typed a brief message—Gunner’s location, Roxanne guessed—and pocketed the two glowing cubes. In a sudden blur of speed, he dashed several steps toward the opposite wall, leaped and kicked off of it, and launched himself at the hoverbike. It swayed precariously in midair as he grabbed the seat and hauled himself up. Then he lowered the aircraft and held out a hand to Roxanne.

“My lady,” he purred. 

She let him pull her up behind him, wrapping her arms about his waist as they sped away. 

He slowed a little as they gained altitude. “You did well,” he said, the wind carrying his words to her. “Really well. I’m so sorry you had to see that.”

She leaned close to his ear. “I’m not,” she said. “I told you I want to help share your burdens, I want to be your sounding board, and I’m glad you trust me enough to let me do that.”

“I’m afraid you’ll see me differently after this.”

“Megamind,” she rolled her eyes, even though he couldn’t see. “It’s not as if I didn’t know you’ve been a supervillain for the past two decades. I won’t lie to you and say it didn’t bother me—” she felt him stiffen. “But I know why you did it. I understand if you let one infraction slide, it will lead to ten more, and before we know it crime rates will skyrocket. So I might not like that you had to do that, but I know you did have to. I can live with that. And it doesn’t change the way I feel about you.”

“Perhaps, but I… I doubt you still think I’m the ‘kindest, most generous man you’ve ever met.’”

She couldn’t stand the aching loss and self-recrimination she heard in his voice. “Darling,” she said, putting all the conviction and tenderness she felt into her words. “You keep an entire city safe. You just returned a small fortune in jewelry because you care about local communities. You didn’t punish those teenage boys because you believe in second chances. You made your point with Gunner, but you didn’t break anything that couldn’t be repaired—don’t think I didn’t notice. You could have crushed his cheekbones, left him disfigured, ruptured an organ, but you were careful. He’s going to need partial dentures after this, but I’m willing to bet money an ‘anonymous donor’ is going to pay for them. Because you care, even about people who make themselves your enemies. You can be tough and terrifying when you need to be, but even that is something you only do to protect people. You are truly, selflessly heroic.” She felt a slight tremor going through his body as she continued. “Metro Man may have been what most people think of as a beacon of virtue, but he was never really the one keeping crime low, was he? Because, unlike you, he was never willing to get his hands dirty. He only showed up for big attention-grabbing events— apartment fires, plane crashes— and for your battles. He rolled when the cameras did because he was a hero for the attention and gratification. But you? You defended this city for almost two decades before that became your job title, protecting it from the shadows, with no recognition or thanks. Because you care. You care about people, about making this a better place— despite the fact that everyone around you gave you very little reason for compassion. So yes, as a matter of fact, I do still think you’re the kindest, most generous man I’ve ever met.”

He shifted his grip to steer the hoverbike one-handed and wrapped firm, gentle fingers around her arm. “Roxanne,” he said, and she was shocked to hear his voice husky with tears. “My brave, brilliant Roxanne. My Beautiful Amazon and my Warrior Goddess. I don’t know that I will ever be able to deserve you, but I plan to spend the rest of my life trying.” 

She squeezed him a little tighter.

“But, really,” he added, clearing his throat and making an obvious effort to lighten his voice. “How did you know I plan to pay for the dentures? Am I that predictable?”

“Only to me. Because I know you. And I love you. That’s never going to change.”

He lifted her hand and kissed it.

Releasing her, he slowed to a hover for long enough to activate the communicator on his watch. “Minion, are you there?”

“I’m here, Sir.’

“You saw the entire live transmission?”

“I did, Boss!”

“Good. Did you get a clear image of the two younger boys’ faces?”

“Yes, Sir!”

“Run facial recognition on them against the Missing Person’s Database. I need to know if one of them answers to the name Isaiah Hoffman.”

There were a few moments of near silence before Minion responded. “Yes, Sir! The dark-haired boy is a match!”

“Thank you, Minion. Good work.” Megamind dug back out his cell phone and dialed a number. “Ollo? Is Detective Tully still there? Transfer me to him, please.” He waited for a moment. “Tully? I’ve found your runaway, and I’ve got him in custody. Yes, I’m afraid he fell in with a rather rough crowd, but don’t be too hard on him. I’m bringing him and another boy over now.”

* * *

It was late at night by the time they returned home from the police station. 

Megamind swung himself off the hoverbike and stretched as he stood. His mood still seemed a little deflated, but Roxanne wasn’t certain if that was because of the night’s events or because he was simply tired.

“I need a shower,” he stated. Turning toward Roxanne, he held out a hand. “Will you… Will you come with me? I need someone to remind me that I’m… Not a monster.”

She let him help her down from the small aircraft. “You’re not a monster, Megamind. I promise.” Ignoring the splattering of blood across one cheek, she cupped his face and kissed him. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

In their shared bathroom, she turned on the shower to heat up and helped undress him, running tender hands over his blue skin. He turned to pull her close, kissing her deeply, his tongue caressing hers in a possessive dance while his hands buried themselves in her hair. He pulled away only long enough to strip away her shirt before returning to her mouth with almost desperate passion. Her bra joined her shirt on the floor, and his hands caressed her, explored her, leaving trails of fire along her skin until they reached the button of her blue jeans. Their touches were almost frantic now as he fumbled the closure open and pushed her remaining clothing down far enough for her to step free.

They stumbled toward the tub like one being of tangled limbs and ravenous ardor. Roxanne freed herself long enough to step under the streaming water, tugging him after her, then returned hungrily to his lips. He crushed her against him, his member growing and hardening against her belly.

“I love you,” she panted between kisses. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“My hero.”

“My angel.”

She slid to her knees, hands stroking down his back to grasp his bottom. “Let me show you how much I love you.”

With that, she took him into her mouth, as deep as she could, and Megamind groaned.

“Roxanne,” his fingers wove themselves into her short hair once more.

She pulled back, running her tongue along the sensitive ridge on the underside of his cock and flicking over the taunt, textured head before sucking him back down. She did it again, and again, humming against him to make him gasp.

“Roxanne. God, yes. Oh, fuck, yes.” He was clearly struggling to stay quiet— the bathroom wasn’t soundproof, an oversight they should probably correct— and she turned wickedly warm blue eyes up to him, letting him know in no uncertain terms that she intended to make that very difficult.

Sucking harder still, head bobbing, Roxanne’s tongue began moving in little flicking motions all the way up his shaft before swirling around the tip. Megamind gave one of those purring moans, his hips bucking against her.

“Damn it, that feels good!” he moaned, still managing to keep his voice low. “Oh, fuck, Sweetheart, that feels good!”

She moved faster, and he bit back a cry of pleasure, his already impressive member swelling in her mouth.

“Keep sucking!” he begged. “Keep sucking! I’m going to… I’m going to… Oh, my God, Roxanne!”  
His final words came in a feral growl as he pumped streams of seamen down her waiting throat.

“Oh,” he panted, sagging with one arm braced against the shower wall. “Oh, that was fantastic. Sweetheart, you are sinfully good at that.”

“Mmm. So you’ve told me,” she kissed his neck. “Want me to scrub your back?”

“There’s hardly any point.” His eyes promised wicked delights. “As soon as I’ve washed any… reminders away, I thoroughly plan to take you to bed and get very, very dirty.”

He almost wasn’t able to bathe; his erection was still standing at full attention, and it was nearly impossible for Roxanne to keep her hands off of it. Their trip to his bedroom was a chaos of stumbling embraces and nearly frantic kisses. She practically fell on top of him when he tumbled back against the bed, their lips never parting.

“Ride me,” his voice was rough with need, his eyes dark with desire. “I want you to ride me.”

He pulled himself further onto the mattress, and she followed him, straddling his narrow hips and leaning forward to rub her aching clit against his length. Megamind’s deft blue finger found her nipples, teased and tormented until she was gasping his name.

“Ride me,” he growled again, hands grasping her hips. “I want to fuck you until you scream.”

Rising up to position herself above him, Roxanne lowered herself onto his throbbing cock until he was buried to the hilt.

“God,” she moaned. “Oh, God, I love the way you feel inside me.”

She started moving, swaying against him, pushing up and down on his shaft.

“That’s… because… I belong… inside you...” Megamind groaned, his stomach muscles flexing to twitch himself inside her just right. 

“Mmmm… Megamind…”

He growled again and, with a sudden movement, sat up against her, hands clutching her lower back to pull her into a quicker rhythm, lips and teeth laying claim to one of her nipples.

“Fuck! Fuck, yes, Megamind!” she moved faster, nails scraping over his neck, the back of his large head.

Megamind’s hips bucked into her, and he jerked his knees up, planting his feet against the mattress to thrust up into her wet depths with new purpose.

“Harder!” he demanded, releasing her breast. “Faster!” He angled his hips and hammered wildly up into her as she bounded and ground against him with renewed fury. Her chest bounced against his chin, and he captured her nipple once more. He expertly twisted his hips and the textured head of his hard cock hit her g-spot. She screamed.

“Megamind! Oh, God, yes, Megamind!”

“That’s right! That’s right, my Goddess, my Temptress, my Wicked Angel! Fuck me! Fuck me! Show my dick who’s boss! Come on!”

Their shared rhythm had built into a storm of passion that threatened to overwhelm them both. Roxanne’s legs burned from exertion, but she couldn’t stop, couldn’t slow. Ecstasy rode her like a wave. Her lover kissed the side of her throat, dropping hot endearments and tender curses in her ear as his hard cock kept assaulting all the right places. He bit her neck, sucking hard, marking her, and her orgasm struck like lightning.

“Fuck! FUCK! _MEGAMIND_!”

“YESSS!” he roared, hips jerking as he came deep inside her.

He fell back, and she collapsed bonelessly against him. For several long minutes, they gulped down air, sweaty bodies trembling in the aftermath of pleasure.

Then Megamind’s cock twitched.

Roxanne sat up enough to look wide-eyed down at him. “Does it have an off-switch?” she laughed breathlessly.

He grinned devilishly and lifted a challenging eyebrow. “Do you really want to stop?”

“No, definitely not.”

“I didn’t think so.” 

The room spun suddenly as Megamind flipped them over, settling himself firmly between her thighs. Roxanne gave a little shriek of surprise.

“Mmmm… I do love it when you scream,” he purred, leaning down to nuzzle her neck. “No training tomorrow, my Dear!” he added, moving against her and drawing a moan from her lips. “I fully... intent to... keep you... very busy until sunrise!” he promised between thrust.

“Oh, God, yes! I am… holding you to that!”

The blue hero’s only answer was another wicked grin and a harder, faster rhythm.

He was as good as his word, and the sky outside was growing light by the time they finally fell into exhausted slumber.


	27. Daylight and Dark Chapter 27 - Explosive News

“Radioactive _what?!_ ” Roxanne laughed so hard it hurt.

“Chimpanzees!” crowed Megamind. “With glitter cannons!”

Olivia had been put to bed, and Megamind, Roxanne, and Minion were enjoying one of their favorite games. The blue hero had picked out a truly terrible B Horror Movie, complete with hilariously bad effects and comically overblown acting, and they were watching it on mute, providing their own dialogue. Points were awarded for every time one of them made the others laugh out loud, although honestly, they usually became too involved in the simple enjoyment of the moment to remember who was winning. Roxanne had grown fairly good at it over the few weeks she had lived at the Lair, but she was still not yet a match for the other two. Thanks to long practice, the former villain and his aquatic sidekick were masters, even managing to sync their “voice-overs” with the characters' actions and mouth movements more often than not. Not to mention the fact that they were both stomach-achingly funny.

Which was how a supposedly serious discussion between two cop characters and a buxom blonde had just been transformed into a tirade about the aforementioned radioactive primates armed with…

“Weapons of mass bedazzlement!” gasped Minion in mock terror. “Oh, no, we’ll never get rid of it all! The carpets of the entire nation are doomed!”

“I’m afraid so,” Megamind was fighting to keep his tone serious. “And once glitter is released on society, it will keep spreading and spreading… Years from now, we’ll still be finding little sparkly bits and wondering: 'where on earth did this come from?!'”

The blonde started speaking, and Roxanne thought fast. “Say it’s not so! Not the… HERPES OF THE CRAFT WORLD!”

Megamind choked on a swallow of Michigan cherry-infused wheat beer. An entire crate of top-quality local brews had recently arrived at his fan mailbox—much to the dismay of the postal workers— along with a note explaining that it was a gift from the owner of The Chrononaut.

“The herpes of… Oh, that is _classic!_ ” the blue hero cackled. “It’s funny because it’s true! That’s got to be worth at least ten points!”

They were all nearly rolling with mirth when Megamind’s cellphone rang.

Heavy Metal is the Law started playing, and the hero quickly cleared his throat and motioned for silence before he answered. “Ollo? Simmons?” his smile faded and his entire posture became stone. “Suspicious object? You think it's where? No! Don’t let anyone touch it! Listen, Simmons, we’ve got to get people away from there without raising an alarm. Yes, I’m serious! I have an idea, but I’ll need your help, and, well, I’m going to be honest, Simmons, strictly speaking, it’s not entirely legal. No, I’m not joking! What? Well, I'm certainly glad _someone_ is enjoying this! Listen, Simmons, we've got to move fast! Uh-huh… Alright, I’m going to make a phone call to an old associate. All I need you to do is to guarantee that the people I ask to get involved don’t get arrested. I know it sounds crazy, but they’re not going to do anything too bad… Just cause a scene so that you have an excuse to clear the area. Do you understand? Good. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” He clicked off of the call, immediately leaping up and motioning for the brainbots to fetch his battle attire. “Suit up,” he told Roxanne, leaping to his feet. “Minion, you're on control room duty this time. I need eyes all over the midtown district."

"What's going on, Sir?"

"Possible bomb at Metrocity Museum of History uptown!" he answered as they rushed down the stairs, Megamind leaping more than running. "The MCPD discreetly sent bomb-sniffing dogs around to some of the highest risk locations, and it scented something inside of one of the display pedestals. Stopped the maintenance crew from opening up the circuits under a display case just in time. There's been an issue with the lights in that particular case. And there's an event tonight celebrating the opening of a new exposition of _Classical Greek art!_ ” 

"How do you discreetly use a bomb-sniffing dog?" Roxanne asked as they reached the workroom. “And who are these other people you’re asking to get involved?”

Megamind actually grinned. “Grigson got to dress up like a blind man and wander around the place with a "seeing-eye dog." Apparently, he had an awful lot of fun messing with patrons and staff while he was at it. As for your second question," his smile grew sharper. "I'm contacting someone who is vital to my plan and really, really wants to get back into the Criminal Mastermind's good graces.” He dialed another number and turned his phone onto speaker. A brainbot held it for him while others dressed him.

“DeLeon,” the blue man said when a male voice answered. “I informed you at our last meeting that you and the Dragons would have to prove your renewed loyalty. I’ve got a job for you. I need your help saving the city.” 

There was a pause. "You shitting me, Mastermind?" the voice on the phone finally asked.

Megamind rolled his eyes. "No," he said for the second time that night. " _I am not joking_."


	28. Daylight and Dark Chapter 28 - Bomb Squad

They sped toward the midtown area on their hoverbikes, cold wind stinging Roxanne’s cheeks below the goggles and helmet her lover had insisted that she wear. She hadn’t complained or even pointed out that she'd never seen Minion, whose visage she was currently wearing, don that sort of gear. At least Megamind had finally deemed her ready to take her craft on a real flight.

“This time, Sweetheart, I need you to be more careful,” he called to her over the noise, marginally slowing his own flight to draw level with her.

Roxanne resisted the urge to snap back. He’d already said the same thing twice before, making sure she understood it was a strict prerequisite to her accompanying him. This was, she reminded herself, difficult for her lover. And he really was trying.

“I know,” she promised, not daring to take her eyes from her flight path. “I will.”

“And if I tell you to get out, you get out. No stalling, no arguments. Aright?”

“No unnecessary heroics. I promise.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“Darling—”

“Repeat after me: if Megamind tells me to run, I will run.”

She unclenched her teeth through sheer willpower. “If Megamind tells me to run, I will run, unless he is about to get his stupid, brilliant self killed, in which case I will help him first!”

“Roxanne, that is not—”

“Yeah, well, it’s the best you’re getting; take it or leave it!”

Daring a quick glance at her blue lover, she could see his chest rise and fall with his sigh. “You are the most infuriatingly hard-headed and unsuitably reckless damsel on this entire continent, do you know that?”

That stung a little and she opened her mouth for a sharp retort when she heard him add:

“But I wouldn’t have you any other way. We’re almost there.” He motioned for her to slow, reduced his own speed, and dialed a number on his cell phone. “DeLeon, is everyone in position?”

“All good, Mastermind!”

“Excellent! GO!”

He kicked his hoverbike back into gear, and, after only a moment of fumbling, Roxanne followed suit. Several minutes later, as they neared the Metro City Museum of History, Roxanne could hear commotion: people shouting, sirens in the distance.

They sped toward the ground. Men all wearing the same shade of blue somewhere around their bodies—did they wear Megamind’s color on purpose, or was it a coincidence?—were gathered outside the museum, facing off with another, smaller group. They were yelling insults at one another, but a few had guns in hand.

“You better take your greasy hands off my woman!”

“She ain’t yours no more!”

“I told you I ain’t never coming home no more!” a woman shouted. “Take your sorry ass off!”

“Fuck you, Bitch!”

“Don’t fucking talk to her like that!”

“Shut the fuck up!”

“You shut up, you cheating piece of shit!” the woman shrieked. “I ain’t got time for no two-faced mother-fucker!”

“Woman! I had about enough of you!”

“Yeah?” one of the other men demanded. “You gonna do something about it or you just gonna stand there like a fucking pussy?!”

Megamind pressed something on the insignia at his throat, and his voice boomed, suddenly amplified.

“ENOUGH! Break it up!”

“Shit!”

“It’s the Mastermind!”

“Go! Fucking go!”

“Who’s the pussy now?!”

One of the main combatants surged forward, and snagged one arm around the woman's waist, pinning her arms. He pressed a pistol to her head with the other hand and started dragging her toward the doors of the museum. Megamind leaped off the hoverbike and gave chase.

“Clear the building!” the hero called over his shoulder as police cruisers barreled into the parking lot and officers jumped out. They rushed to obey, shouting orders.

Roxanne followed her lover, pushing past museum patrons that were already pouring out of the doors. Inside, she caught up with him as he purposefully slowed down a little to give their quarry time to reach the agreed-upon destination. Police officers hurried past them, fanning out to herd people to “safety.”

Megamind and Roxanne rounded a corner. The wide exhibition hall became a chaos of screams and movement as most of the partygoers fled when the man and his captive burst in. The brainbots had little trouble emptying the ground floor after that. Now there was little in the wide space besides abandoned wine glasses, eerie silence, and artifacts in raised modern glass cases. Fluorescent lighting affording the blue hero and his lover a clear view of the man pressing his “hostage” against the pedestal of a classical statue. The stone figure looming above them was male, dressed in armor and holding a shield before him.

Megamind approached slowly, De-Gun drawn. “Let her go,” he growled, voice low.

“Make me, _Defender_ ,” scoffed the man.

The hero gave him a dark predator’s smile. “You dare challenge Megamind?”

He darted forward. If this had been a real fight, he would have dehydrated the man first for the woman’s safety, but of course, real though it might feel, the entire thing was a ruse. After a very brief struggle— Roxanne could tell her lover was holding back— Megamind threw the other man to the floor and pinned him there.

A brainbot flew up, and Megamind paused.

“Operation successful?” he asked. The cyborg made an affirmative-sounding bark in response, and Megamind let the man up.

“Security cameras have all been shut down, and the building is completely cleared,” he stated.

“’Bout time,” the other man said. “Shit, Mastermind, you got to throw people around like that?”

“Apologies.”

“Uh-uh, no,” said the woman. “You ain’t gotta say shit to him.” 

“Tanisha, let the man apologize if he wants.”

“Not after you damn near jerked my roots out! You pull my hair like that one more time, DeLeon, and you’re gonna need a surgeon to get my high heel out of your ass!”

“You see what I got to put up with, Mastermind?” the man gestured to his companion, but there was a slight smirk edging his lips.

“Yeah. Mmm-hmm. _Put up with_. You just remember that when you’re sleeping on the sofa all week.”

“You always got to give me a hard time?”

“If I don’t, who will?”

Megamind glanced up at his lover from where he crouched beside the statue’s display pedestal. It looked like all the rest of its dully modern counterparts, but the hero had been carefully examining every inch with both his eyes and fingers. He paused in his work long enough to say:

“Sweetheart, meet DeLeon Davis, former enforcer and new leader of the Dragons, and Tanisha Sinclair, his lady-love and trusted associate.” 

“ _Sweetheart?_ ” asked DeLeon.

“What? Oh, right.” Roxanne deactivated her disguise.

“That,” said Tanisha, “is off the fucking chain.” She turned to the man at her side. “Why you ain’t never given me no sick ass jewelry like that?”

“Do I look like the Mastermind to you?”

Tanisha made a show of glancing between the two. “You sure don’t. He’s cuter.”

“Hey!”

“Don’t let their dulcet endearments bother you,” Megamind told Roxanne, his attention still focused on his work. “They’re always like this.”

“Nah,” DeLeon teased. “Sometimes she cops an attitude.”

“High heel. Right up your ass. I swear to God.” But there was playful sarcasm in Tanisha's expression when she said it.

“You finding anything, Mastermind?”

“Not yet, but I’m certain it’s here.”

“How long do you think we have?” Roxanne asked.

“The Dragons and the police both agreed to put on a good show,” the hero responded. “They’ll keep up the distraction as long as possible, but their orders not to use their weapons might make it harder. Still, we should have at least fifteen more minutes, which will be more than—Ollo! What do we have here?”

He had found a hidden panel on the pedestal. “I need everyone to stand back,” he commanded, then motioned with a hand. “Scanner!” A brainbot dropped an odd-looking device into the hero’s palm. Megamind aimed a wide beam of light at the statue’s stand and nodded. “We’ve got explosives. Gear!” Another cyborg swooped down and deposited a small metal case near him. Megamind opened it to pull out a thick, odd-looking pair of gloves as well as a chest piece, a protective helmet, and a face mask. 

Roxanne couldn’t help but tremble a little. She knew the materials her lover manufactured were higher tech than anything any military on Earth could boast, but she would have still felt better if he’d had a full bomb suit. 

“Tools!” the hero was commanding now, and a third cyborg carried over a toolbox. The blue man carefully pried open the panel, angling his body carefully behind the door as much as possible. The entire room tensed for a moment.

Nothing happened. No trap sprung, no explosion rocked the air. That was good, wasn’t it?

Or did it mean that they had the wrong location?

She heard Megamind growl. “He’s attached an integrated sensor.”

“And that means what, exactly?” Roxanne asked.

“It means that if I simply disarm this device, all the others around the city will go off.”

“Shit,” DeLeon hissed.

“My sentiments precisely,” the blue man agreed. He was studying the statue above him. "Ares must really be desperate. He doesn't destroy art, and for him to be willing to risk a priceless piece like this..." he shook his head. "I don't like this. Desperate men do dangerous things."

Roxanne’s mind was already racing. “So what’s our next move?” she asked. “Can you remove it without destroying half the city?”

“Yes,” Megamind answered after aiming a flashlight into the dark opening for a long moment. “I can do it, but it’s going to be a delicate process. I need absolute concentration. DeLeon, can you and your Dragons make sure this area remains absolutely clear of any interference?”

“We’re on it, Mastermind!” He started to move away.

“Roxanne, Love, I want you to go with them.”

“So that if you get blown up I can spend the rest of my life mourning you and wondering whether I might have been able to do something if only I’d been here?” she crossed her arms. “I don’t think so.”

“Sweetheart—”

“No, Megamind. You protect me and I protect you. We’re in this together.”

“If I’m worried about you, then my concentration might be divided.”

“So I’ll stand a little way off. But I’m going to be here in case you need me.”

Megamind started to argue, but Tanisha spoke up. “Do yourself a favor, Mastermind, just accept that a queen don’t let her king face shit like this alone.” She offered Roxanne a commiserating look as she headed toward the expansive doorway.

The blue hero sighed. “Alright. Yes. Roxanne, I would _really_ prefer that you went somewhere safer, but you're my partner and you're an intelligent adult. I trust you to know your limits. Are you sure you won't reconsider? Alright, Sweetheart,” he said again when she nodded. “But I want you to stand away. _Well_ away. You two,” he jerked his head at a pair of brainbots. “Be ready to get my,” he smirked, “Evil Queen out of danger if anything should happen.”

The reporter rolled her eyes.

Roxanne obediently backed away a few steps, moving halfway behind the cover of another display, as her lover pulled something from beneath the statue with slow deliberation. It looked like a small, cheap black plastic toolbox trailing wires, and there was a tiny plastic box similar to what they’d discovered in Sudmeister Brewery attached to one side. A few of the wires connected with it before curling back into the larger device. With a deep breath, the blue hero drew two small tools from his belt and went to work, his movements so cautious and delicate that his hands barely seemed to move.

It felt like a century passed. Roxanne realized she was holding her breath, cold sweat dripping down her spine. At last, Megamind successfully removed the smaller box, and, after a tense, nerve-shredding moment, he let out a deep sigh.

“Alright,” he selected something from the toolbox previously delivered by brainbot. “Now to disarm this piece of junk.” He went to work, and only a few minutes later he had the explosive safely disassembled. Then he frowned.

“There’s very little here,” he stated, examining the components more closely. “Far too little to destroy the entire building or even this entire wing. Something isn’t right.” He paused again. “Something’s missing— it’s… Wait.” He sat back on his heels and looked up at Roxanne. “There’s no second sensor, and the first had no denotative device.”

“Are you… Megamind, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

He nodded. “This was a dud. A ruse.” He gave her a meaningful look. “A distraction.”

“But that means—”

“Exactly.” He turned to one of the brainbots. “Get all the people in charge in here. Now.” As the little cyborg raced off to obey, the blue hero pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. “Reaper,” he said into the mouthpiece after a pause. “Please tell me you’ve gotten something out of Gunner.” He paused again, his expression growing dark. “Oh, did he?” the blue man growled, his voice taking on the silken sharpness that meant he was at his most dangerous... “Well, well, the little brat has balls after all. Tell him the Mastermind doesn’t believe his utter bullshit for a single moment, and unless he wants those newfound balls of his crushed in a metal gauntlet, he had better start remembering very, very quickly.” He was silent again as Reaper said something. Megamind rubbed one hand over his face and looked a question at Roxanne.

Somehow she understood. Reaper was asking for permission to do something, probably something painful and nasty, to jog Gunner’s memory. _We need answers fast, but Gunner’s not talking because he’s too afraid of Ares_ , she realized. _He isn’t going to tell us anything unless we make him even more afraid of us_. Swallowing her distaste, she met her lover’s eyes and nodded.

“Do what you need to do to get answers, Reaper,” Megamind said into the phone. “I want the locations of all those devices in an hour, no more. If he remains uncooperative, call me.” A wicked smile spread across the former villain’s face. “I’ll stop by for a little… _chat_.”

* * *

“Let me get this straight, Defender,” a police sergeant, who’d been introduced as Michael Perez, asked Megamind. He and two other senior officers had joined the hero, Roxanne, DeLeon, and Tanisha around the remains of the counterfeit bomb. “You’re telling me that there are fourteen of these things hidden around Metro City, and half of them are fakes.”

“That’s right.”

“And we don’t know where any of them are, or which ones are real.”

“I’m afraid so.”

“And if anyone tampers with any of them, even the phonies, they _all_ go off?”

“All the real ones, yes,” Megamind was pacing as he spoke. “Curse Ares! Damn him! This complicates matters to such an extent— Damn him! _What?!_ ” he added, whirling on one of the other officers. “What could possibly be _funny_ about this?!”

“It’s not funny, Defender, not really, but… Now you know how we all felt dealing with you and your schemes all those years.”

Megamind growled and rolled his eyes. “Yes. Alright. Karma is punching me directly in the balls. Can we focus on the issue at hand?”

Sergeant Perez was glaring at his fellow. “Walters, I expect more professionalism. And more respect for our hero.”

“Oh, uh, right. I didn’t mean… Sorry Defender. Cop humor, you know? You either learn to laugh about the shit you deal with every day or you find a new line of work.”

Megamind let out a breath. “I get it. I do.” He stopped as the opening riff of Grim Reaper’s Rock You To Hell split the air, and the hero pulled out his cell phone. Roxanne didn’t even need to ask who was on the line.

“Please tell me you’ve got something,” the blue man said as soon as he answered. “Uh-huh? He did? That’s the best news I’ve heard today. Well done, Reaper. Very well done. I believe I’m now the one who owes you a drink. Yes. I’ll let you know if we need more boots on the ground. Now, I must ask a question: was one of them _close to home?_ I thought as much. I'm sure you've taken the necessary measures? I don't blame you. It will be a priority. I— Well, that’s true, I suppose. Very well. Gather your forces and meet us. I’ll text a location. Indeed. Goodbye.”

“Good news?” Perez asked.

“We’ve got the bombs’ locations,” Megamind nodded. “I have a strong suspicion about which of them are fakes, but disarming them is still going to require a great deal of care.” Pulling out his cell phone, the hero drew a long, then cable out of his watch, plugged it in, and started typing. "Brainbots!" he said into the watch once he was done. "New task, high priority: access seven sets of recently uploaded coordinates! I want stealth teams checking out all of the locations and scanning the areas for explosive material! Specs are updated!" He paused, noting everyone else's stunned expressions, and shrugged. "Call it a hunch, but I think it's a good one." Turning to the sergeant, he added. “Another group of my associates is going to join our efforts. Once again, I must ask that Metrocity’s Finest refrain from arresting any of them. This is going to be a major operation,” he added, sweeping his gaze over the entire group. “To keep Ares from becoming suspicious, we’re going to have to target some other areas as well, and we’re going to have to use disguises and subterfuge for some of them. If the same groups are clearly involved everywhere, it will make our efforts too clear.”

“I got some people I can get to run the streets, make it look real good,” DeLeon offered. “You name some spots, they’ll set up like they're gonna catch a play, and the boys in blue can come help them make a scene.”

“How about a violent protest?” the third officer, a tough-looking woman who had “military veteran” written all over her, offered. “My sister is big in a political advocacy group. If we could get them started at one of the locations, and get someone else to give them a hard time, no one will be surprised when a fight breaks out. That won’t seem to be connected to any other, ah, _group activities_ we have planned.”

“Good thinking, McLean,” Perez nodded. He turned back to Megamind. “You may want to call the Chief and let him know what’s happening. The state legislature finally passed that bill that allows precincts to skip the bureaucratic red tape and respond faster when a city Defender calls.”

“It’s about time.” 

“Look, I don’t mean any offense,” Walters said. “But I have to play devil’s advocate here. What measures do we have in place in case some of our, um, allies get out of hand?” he looked at DeLeon. “I’m not trying to be a dick or anything, but you’ve got to understand, if something goes wrong, it’s our,” his motion took in himself and the other officers, “necks on the chopping block.”

“My boys’ll do what I tell them,” the gang leader assured him. “And here’s the other thing: this is our city, too. We live here. Don’t none of us want to see it blown to shit.”

“Truth,” Tanisha snapped, and Roxanne saw a defensive fire in her eyes. “And how do we know you ain’t just going to arrest us all after we help you? You ain’t the only ones taking a huge fucking risk here! Ever think about that?!”

“Tani,” DeLeon said, laying a hand on her arm. “Don’t. I’d have asked the same thing. Look,” he added to the others. “This situation is all kinds of fucked up, and maybe we all got reasons not to trust each other, but we do this together or we don’t do this.”

“He’s right,” Roxanne informed them. “I think we’ve all heard the saying: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Whether anyone here likes it or not, we need everybody to be a part of this for Megamind’s plan to work. We’ve only got one chance, and I don’t think any of us are willing to jeopardize it. Right now, keeping Ares from killing hundreds of people has to be our priority. Everything else pales compared to that.”

As she finished, she noted with warm elation that Megamind’s green eyes were full of affectionate pride.

“The lady’s got a point,” DeLeon was saying. “This guy is O.T.K. for real, and he don’t give a damn whose guts his bombs scatter: your people, my people, or anybody else’s. He wants to fuck this whole city up. And I don’t know about you, but I ain’t looking to get fucked by some piece of shit who thinks he can blow my home town all to hell. So,” he turned back to Walters. “We good?”

“Yeah,” Walters offered a grim smile. “Yeah. Here’s to being the enemies of our enemy.”

“If I had some juice,” DeLeon said, “I’d drink to that.”

“Drinks, yes,” Megamind motioned a waiting brainbot over. “We’re going to need coffee. Ridiculous amounts of coffee. This promises to be an extremely long night.”

* * *

He wasn’t wrong. First, there was a meeting between all of the leaders involved, followed by an extensive planning process as the team discussed which ploys would work best in which locations, which unlisted places were best suited for their own cover incidents, and which threats should be dealt with first. When Megamind insisted on several specific devices taking priority, despite their being scattered all over the city, Perez raised the question in everyone's thoughts. 

"Defender, I thought you said the bombs would be somewhere connected with Greek stories? These are—"

"Not directly connected," the hero admitted, "but connected nonetheless. Ares likes patterns, and he likes sending messages."

"So the assumption is that if the one in an obvious place is fake, then the ones in the less obvious places are real?"

"That's a part of it, but I believe there's something else connecting these locations. We'll know soon enough."

"Your informant couldn't even give us addresses!" Perez objected. "I mean," he checked his notes, "'the basement level of a brick building somewhere off Heron Street, near the docks...' What are we supposed to do with that?! Start knocking on doors?!"

"No. We are supposed to deduce, Sergeant Perez, and that is exactly what I've done."

Perez looked for a moment like he might argue, but he was cut off by a roaring laugh. "That's the Mastermind for you!" Reaper, who in person looked nearly as much like a bear as he sounded, clapped the hero's shoulder with one massive hand as he guffawed. "Always got to be the man of mystery! You know," he added to the blue hero with another laugh. "Sometimes the rest of us get real tired of feeling a bunch of dumb asses when you're around! But if you say you got what you need, I believe it."

After a sort of mobile command center was set up in an unmarked police van, Megamind and Roxanne spent the next several hours planning, arranging, and managing distractions all over the city. The hero himself had to show up on location at each one—or at least all of those not meant simply to throw their adversary off the scent— disguised differently each time, to dismantle the explosives. The sun rose, transforming their "very long night" into what threatened to become a very long day. Most of the police involved changed shifts, although several opted to stay on for extra manpower. DeLeon and Reaper both sent some of their members home to rest and called others in.

Exhausted though she was, Roxanne knew her lover was bearing the heaviest burden. No one else had the skill and expertise to disarm Ares’ devices, and one mistake, one movement made too quickly or too rashly, could cost not only his own life but others as well. The constant fear that Ares would show up at one of the locations hung heavily over both she and Megamind. Despite his alien stamina, the strain was clearly wearing on the blue hero. True, he had told her that he had sometimes gone days without sleep while finishing an invention, but the exciting mental challenge of building something new was a far cry from the endless stress he faced now. So she refused to leave. Between using her status as a neutral party to encourage all the factions of their operation to work together smoothly, she offered Megamind every kind of support and encouragement she could think of, little though that seemed to be. Even after setting up the brainbot perimeters, Minion had remained behind at the Lair— they had a little girl to care for now, after all— so she tried to think of all the little tasks the aquatic sidekick had done during her past kidnappings. She brought her lover coffee and sweets, kept track of all the information coming in, and offered him condensed versions of the reports. 

By half past noon, however, she was stumbling with weariness, her eyes itching and burning, her stomach soured by too little sleep and too much caffeine. She thought with wry envy of her college years, when she could stay awake for two days straight finishing an important paper and still function reasonably well. 

_What did I expect? I’m not nineteen anymore._

Megamind looked at her with concern when he returned once again to the command center to gulp coffee and change his disguise. This time, he didn’t suggest that she return home for some rest. He insisted.

“Please, Sweetheart, don’t argue with me,” he said wearily when she started to protest. “You’ve been awake for almost thirty hours. You need to rest. You can’t help anyone if you’re too exhausted to function. Minion will have had a chance to sleep. He can take over.”

“What about you?”

“I’ve told you, I need less sleep than a human.”

“Maybe so, but you’re still starting to look a little… gray around the edges.”

“I know, Love. But it’s almost over. We’ve taken care of five of the fourteen devices. Six if you count the first one. Just two more to go and I can come home.”

“Two? Wait, but—”

“You’re dating the Incredibly Handsome Heroic Genius of Metrocity, remember?” even his smile looked tired. “It took me about ten seconds after hearing all of the bombs' locations to figure out which ones were real and which were fake. Once the real ones have all been dealt with, a bomb squad can simply collect the rest. This ordeal is almost over. Now, I am going to call Minion. He is going to come pick you up, and you are going to go home and get some sleep. I'll dehydrate your hoverbike so he can take it with you, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

She felt she should argue, but the idea of finally shutting her eyes was a beautiful, siren-song temptation. At that moment, if someone had offered her the choice, she felt she would have opted for eight hours of unbroken rest rather than a million dollars.

“Alright, I’ll go,” she deactivated her disguise again, wrapped her arms around him, and tucked her head against his shoulder. “Just please, please be careful, okay? I don’t think I could live with myself if something happened to you.”

“I’ll be careful. Believe me, if I feel I’ve grown too tired to do this safely, I’ll call a halt and nap for a couple of hours before I get started again.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

He must have done exactly that because it was four in the afternoon when Roxanne woke suddenly— yet another nightmare of exploding flames and gun-wielding assassins clinging to her brain— and turned over to see Megamind stripping off his shirt.

She nearly sobbed with relief.

"Darling?" he came to press a hand against her cheek. God, he looked worn, the skin under his eyes puffy and stained a darker blue than normal. "Are you alright?"

"I... I'm fine," she managed. "Just a bad dream. A lot of them. I was... I was so worried..."

"Oh, Sweetheart," he crawled into bed beside her, practically falling against the pillows. "My poor angel. Come here," he pulled her close against his bare chest. "Let me hold you. I'm safe, Roxanne. I'm here. Everything is alright."

She turned in his arms, staring into his green eyes while her gentle fingers explored his face. He smiled sleepily at her, leaning in to share quick, tender kisses before he tugged her tighter against him. With a sigh of soul-deep contentment, Roxanne snuggled down to nestle her face under his chin. She took comfort in his steady heartbeat and in the slow movement of his chest as he relaxed into the rhythm of slumber. That was the last thing she remembered for a long while.


	29. Daylight and Dark Chapter 29 - Undercover Operations

“Would you like another omelet, Miss Ritchi?” Minion asked the next morning at breakfast. 

“I was delicious, but I couldn’t possibly eat that much more. Just another piece of toast would be great,” she answered. “And are there any more strawberries?”

“Coming right up!” Minion smiled. 

Roxanne’s body had grown accustomed to their rigorous training—so much so that she actually missed it this morning— and while she was fitter than ever, she noticed her appetite had increased. She’d worried, upon first moving in, that her voluntary house arrest would result in an expanding waistline. Between three-hour fighting practices and their equally energetic (if far more enjoyable) nocturnal activities, however, those fears were proving to be unfounded. The fact that she climbed three flights of stairs several times a day and had started walking laps around the upper level of the massive workroom helped as well. In fact, although she was eating more than she could recall ever doing before, she had actually lost almost an inch from her girth—impressive for just under two months. Her weight had increased a little, but Megamind had assured her that was normal.

“Muscle is higher density than fat,” he’d explained. Then he had run a teasing hand down her side. “Just promise me you won’t lose these beautiful curves.” The next hour had been spent in his showing her, in no uncertain terms, just how beautiful he found them.

The memory made her blush when the blue hero in question bounded into the dining room. “Good morning, Sweetheart,” he said cheerily. “Good morning,” he added to Minion. “What’s for breakfast, Master Chef?”

“Bacon, portobello, smoked Gouda and chives omelet with toast and strawberries. Oh, and I’ve got a batch of your favorite cookies coming out of the oven!”

“Excellent! I’m famished, and we’ve got a full day ahead!” He poured himself a cup of coffee and began adding liberal spoonfuls of sugar. “I’ve been up since before sunrise.”

“I noticed,” Roxanne teasingly pouted. “I woke up all cold and alone.”

“Oh, Sweetheart, I’m sorry. Make it up to you tonight?" he added with a grin.

She chuckled. "You'd better. Seriously, though, I know you have important things to do. So, what's up?"

"Reports about the remaining devices came in. As I suspected, only the seven I disarmed yesterday were real, which has given me new insight into what Ares's intentions were. You were right; it was definitely about Olivia. But that’s not all. I just got off the phone with Simmons. He’s pulled some information from the database I requested, so a visit to Central Precinct is the first item on our agenda.” He mixed milk and caramel syrup into his cup, and topped it with whipped cream. Roxanne didn’t bat an eye. She’d grown used to his incredible sweet tooth. At least he hadn’t added vanilla ice cream this time.

Minion brought out a plate of fruit, half a dozen cookies, and toast smothered in jam. “Your omelet will be ready in just a moment more, Sir!”

Megamind nodded at him, his mouth already full of cookie. They were an invention of Minion’s own: a confection made largely from butter, oatmeal, both regular and brown sugar, cinnamon, white chocolate, and dried blueberries. Roxanne had learned from experience what they were sweet enough to set her teeth on edge, but Megamind ate them by the dozen.

“So Simmons has some information about Ares,” Roxanne asked, sipping her own coffee. Today her mug read: “Instant Human: Just Add Caffeine.” The tired joke was given new humor by the fact that the cup belonged to Megamind.

Her lover was grimacing. “I wish it was that simple. We’re going have to try to get information out of our favorite Fed, and Agent Dickhard is still being a problem.”

“Agent _Dickhard_!” She laughed aloud. “Oh, you are terrible! The worst! I love you so much!”

“Evil,” he reminded her, gesturing to himself.

“Hero,” she argued playfully

He grinned. “It’s only the _good_ kind of evil.”

“Mmm-hmm. Right.” She started to rise.

“Not yet,” he stopped her with a gentle hand. “This is really important. I’ve added a new disguise to your holowatch. You’ll need to keep it on when we arrive. Your name is Dawn Moneta, and mine is Malachi Magus,” he dug in a pocket and handed her a very realistic looking ID. “Don’t answer to any other name.” 

Roxanne studied the card. “Megamind, this is a private investigator’s license. That’s…”

“Highly illegal. I know. But it’s necessary.” 

“And your name is Malachi _Magus_? A little obvious, isn’t it?”

“Actually, people generally find very bland names, like John Smith, more suspicious. They think more intricate names sound like something someone would invent, and therefore if someone were inventing a name they would obviously avoid the ones that sounded invented. They reason themselves out of looking too closely at unusual names. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, but Magus? For a PI? And why do you get to have a cool sounding name?”

“Excuse me, but Dawn is the translation of your name, Roxanne, and Moneta is the Roman Goddess of wealth.”

She groaned a good-natured protest and made a show of rolling her eyes. “Wealth. Ritchi. You and your puns.”

He gave her a sideways smirk. “Well, that, and of course I like the irony of using Ares’ penchant for Classical names against him. But mostly I was thinking that you are my daylight, my treasure, and my goddess. I thought it was a fitting and beautiful name.”

Roxanne felt her expression soften. “Of course it is. Count on you to put so much care and thought into a one-use alias. I love you.” She stood and came around the table to kiss him lightly. “What’s the plan?”

“Mm.” He gently tugged her arm with one hand and pointed to his mouth with the other. “One more.”

She was only too happy to comply.

“Alright,” Megamind pulled himself back into business mode. “Here’s our story: I own a private detective firm and you’re my assistant. I’ve had to tell Simmons that I have ways of disguising myself, and he’s expecting out visit, but I don’t want it to go any further if possible— especially if that means letting Rickard know. I can only imagine the demands the Federal Government might start making if they were aware of some of my inventions. I already traded a few designs and patents for clemency, but if Uncle Sam ever found out I was holding things like this back… Well, you get the idea. Anyway, we have a letter from the Defender of Metrocity stating that we’re working with him and asking that any useful information be shared with us. Simmons is ready to order cooperation..”

“You really think Dickhard,” she couldn’t help but grin again, “is going to like working with a PI any better than working with our friendly neighborhood alien genius?”

“You heard him when we first met. I doubt he gets along well with anyone, but it was the alien part that he had the biggest problem with.” He sighed. “But, no. In fact, I’m sure he is going to try and block us.”

“Well, he’s an idiot,” she assured him. “At first glance, he seems like such a smart, serious guy, too!”

“My Dear, light travels faster than sound. That’s why some people look intelligent until they opened their mouths.” He gave her a wicked smirk. "I’ve called in another favor with the mayor’s office. Hopefully, Pollock can help us out."

Roxanne laughed again and kissed his cheek. “Literally the worst,” she repeated as she headed into the kitchen with her plate.

“Oh, come on, you know you love it!” he called after her, earning him another chortle.

* * *

When they reached the invisible car, Roxanne let her curiosity take hold.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you fuel this thing up, and we’ve been driving a lot. Do we need to stop for gas?” She wondered aloud, casting a sly look sideways.

“Nosy reporter. As you’ve guessed, it doesn’t use gas. I developed an electromagnetic device and photocatalytic converter that work together to turn Carbon-Dioxide, water, and solar radiation into a fuel source.”

She stumbled, nearly missing the passengers’ seat, and only Megamind’s hand on her elbow saved her from a fall. “Are you telling me this thing runs on air?” The woman stared wide-eyed.

“Not exactly,” he explained, opening his own car door. One thing had never changed: Megamind was always glad to expound upon his work. “You need CO2, H2O, and sunlight for the process. It’s basically artificial photosynthesis. Then the compound has to be refined into a solid before it can be used to run the vehicle. That way it’s concentrated and easier to store… Not to mention it’s easier to safely separate out the byproducts that way. Anyway, after some tweaking, I managed to make it very energy-efficient, so the vehicle can run for multiple weeks before it needs the fuel cell replaced.”

“Oh, my God, Megamind!” Roxanne enthused after her lover had taken his place behind the wheel. “That is amazing! Why haven’t you marketed it yet?!”

“I’ve been trying.” He grimaced with distaste as he put the car into gear. “Big oil companies have a lot of political influence, and they’re good at blocking certain patents when they want to. Before I became a hero, I’d had some villainous plans to do something about that, but…” he trailed off with an expressive wave of his hand.

“Maybe you still could.”

“Oh, no. Eco-terrorism is still terrorism. Either I’m the good guy or I’m not. I can’t straddle the fence that much.”

She reached out to touch his knee. “Then I guess we’ll just have to find a way to do it through legal channels together.”

* * *

They arrived at police headquarters shortly before ten a.m. wearing the appearances of a dapper dark-skinned man and a thin woman in a no-nonsense pantsuit. Inside, they endured the time-consuming ruse of showing their credentials, waiting for Simmons, and finally receiving a promise of assistance.

The police were quick to assist them. Agent Rickard, however, was predictably unhappy. They found him in a private cubicle he had commandeered, and his greeting was hardly less surly than when they had met him as themselves. 

“At least this _hero_ ,” he sneered the word, “admits that he’s not up to the challenge of actual detective work, but he should still leave the _real_ investigators to do their jobs.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Megamind was quick to say. “He’s so brilliant. And charismatic. But his important schedule doesn’t leave time for everything.”

Roxanne wished there was a way to kick his leg without being obvious.

“Is he?” Rickard’s look was suspicious.

“Malachi,” said Roxanne sweetly, “do you have a little man crush?”

“What? No!”

“Because you sound like you have a man-crush.”

“I do not!”

“Oh, wait, it’s all the technology, right? Didn’t you say you used to read Dick Tracy comics when you were a kid?”

Megamind finally seemed to have caught on. “You are the most mouthy assistant I’ve ever had.”

“But I’m also the best.” She turned back to Rickard. “We’re here about the Nelson case. We have some information that may tie into who his clients are, and we’d like to see if it matches what you’ve got.” 

“And what have you got?”

“Covert meeting with an unknown person in a luxury sedan. Plates are registered to an anonymous trust. Do you think there may be some connection with the local government?” Megamind answered.

Rickard actually looked interested, which surprised Roxanne. They had discovered that information so long ago that she expected Rickard to have found it too. “Well, that is something. Thanks for the help.” He started to walk away.

“My question, Agent?” Megamind asked. Rickard ignored him.

“I don’t think you heard my boss,” Roxanne spoke politely, but she moved to block Rickard’s path. “What have you got on the client or the target? Come on, now, Agent, we’ve shared with you. Fair is fair.”

“I’m FBI. You have to share with me, or you’re standing in the way of an open investigation. I don’t have to give you anything.” 

“And you don’t think working together might solve this faster?”

“If the… private investigators in this town,” Rickard scoffed, “are anything like the so-called heroes and the law enforcement, I’d say I’m better off alone.”

“Oh, come on,” Megamind offered cordially. “I get that you don’t like the Defender, but what have you got against the MCPD? They’re pretty good people, and if a PI saying that about cops, you know it means something!”

Rickard sneered. “Of course they like you. They like anyone who’ll do their job for them. Fucking incompetent, every one of them.”

“Now, Agent, you have the right to your opinion, but—”

“Opinion?! That’s not an _opinion_ , it’s a _fact!_ They won’t catch Nelson this time just like they couldn’t last time! Hell, last time he had to set a damned hotel on fire before they even noticed he was here!” Rickard stopped suddenly as if he realized he’d said too much.

Roxanne kept her face politely blank, carefully not looking at the blue hero as he spoke.

“Ah, yes, the hotel fire,” he said as if he’d known it all along. “It was called the Fitzgerald, I believe. Turned out to house an illegal casino on the basement level. Fires were put out by some sort of… freak storm before they reached the upper floors.”

 _A freak storm_ , Roxanne resisted the urge to grin. _Yeah, right. But if the Cumulus Generator is new, how did he do it?_

“You’re not entirely stupid,” Rickard grudgingly admitted. “What the hell is that?” He added as a detective brought over a thick manila envelope.

“Copy of the Nelson file,” the detective answered.

“Don’t give that to them!”

“Chief’s orders.”

“They are not—”

“Thank you, Detective,” Roxanne said, accepting the file. “Is this all of it?”

“All of it that we have, Ma’am,” the man answered. There was a slight emphasis on _we_ , and Roxanne looked pointedly at Rickard.

“I see,” she said.

“I can’t just hand over information from a federal investigation to a couple of snoops!”

“Even snoops working with the recognized Defender of the City and with the full cooperation of local law enforcement?”

Mentioning Megamind was a mistake. “I am not,” Rickard said pointedly, “giving you anything that might be shared with that—” he swallowed whatever he’d been about to say, and finished with: “ _non-human!_ ”

“Just so that you know,” the police detective stated hotly, “the Defender is a really good guy.”

“Conflict of interests!” insisted Rickard, whirling on the man. “He’s an alien! He was a supervillain for _years!_ Who knows what ulterior motives he has?”

Roxanne could feel Megamind stiffen beside her, but he remained calm.

“I’ll be sure to pass along your compliments,” he said dryly.

“Be sure you do! And be sure he knows it’s from me!”

Rickard’s phone rang, and he glanced at the display. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting at the Mayor’s Office.”

“Good to know Pollock came through,” Megamind said as Rickard started away in one direction, and the detective disappeared in another.

“A backup plan for the backup plan?”

“Exactly.” Megamind darted into the cubical. “Keep a lookout for me, Dawn.” 

“Hey… Malachi? That storm at the Fitzgerald. That was you, right?” Roxanne queried, positioning her back near the opening of the cubical for a clear view in either direction.

“Indirectly. Lady Doppler of the Doom Syndicate acting under my orders.”

“You controlled the Doom Syndicate?”

“No. At one time they wanted me to lead them, but I refused to entangle myself with those amateurs. Keeping them organized would have been far more work and stress than it was worth. And they certainly don’t feel the same way about me anymore. But Doppler looks out for Number One… She’s always known when it’s in her best interest to play nice.” He plugged a jump drive into the laptop dock, and a command window flashed briefly before black dots appeared in the Password blank. A standard desktop display opened.

“Why, look,” Megamind said conversationally. “Rickard has left his computer unlocked. Very sloppy security for an agent. A nice person would lock it for him and save him a lot of trouble.”

“And you’re doing what?” Roxanne asked knowingly, glancing over her shoulder.

“Searching for information, of course! And hacking all of his accounts.”


	30. Daylight and Dark Chapter 30 - The Final Clue

“I cannot believe him!” Roxanne fumed as she slid into the passenger seat and disengaged her disguise. “People have been hurt, people are going to die, and he’s still more concerned about having a dick-measuring contest!”

Megamind shrugged. “Then when he loses he’ll have no one to blame but himself.”

“Megamind, this really isn’t the time.”

“Hmm? Oh, no, I’m not talking about my… admittedly impressive anatomy,” despite his assertion he still threw her a wolfish grin. But something was subtly... off about it. “I’m speaking figuratively. Be quiet for a moment,” he added, eyes focusing suddenly on the rearview mirror.

Roxanne turned around enough to see Rickard, one hand on the door handle of a car parked near the entrance. He was alert, and her stomach twisted. The car was invisible, but it wasn’t soundproof. Had he heard them?

After a moment, the agent seemed to shake off his suspicion and got into the vehicle.

“Is he just now heading for the mayor’s office?” Roxanne asked quietly. Had he seen them at his cubicle?

“Can’t be. I had Pollock set up that meeting with our time frame in mind,” Megamind frowned slightly. “What is he up to?”

“Should we follow him?”

“No,” he sounded almost depressed. “We have far more important things to attend to. Like stopping Ares. We’ve nearly got him now. All I need is to figure out how he plans to eliminate his targets.”

“I thought that was the point of at least one of the bombs?”

“No,” he answered again, letting out a deep breath. “At least not the ones we already found. As I said, some of them were decoys. However, even the real ones were, at least in part, distractions. Oh, and he _did_ expect I’d realize some of them were never actually intended to go off— but only after a bomb squad had been called in. Ares's goal was simply to distract me while he made his demands, set off the real devices one by one. That’s why the duds were ‘hidden’ in more obvious locations. I believe he counted on my inexperience as a hero leading me to panic and focus on the most manifest threats. He’s probably been waiting to hear about a bomb scare to make his move.” 

“Good thing we took so many precautions.”

“Indeed.”

“You don’t sound happy.”

“I’m thinking. And trying to hold myself together right now.”

"What's wrong?"

He didn't answer.

Roxanne tried a different tactic. "If he expected you not to figure it out as soon as you saw those wires weren't there, he doesn't know you as well as he thinks."

She’d expected that to cheer him up—Megamind wasn’t above being flattered, especially where his intellect was concerned—but he only sighed again.

“You have no idea,” he cast her a semblance of his troublemaker's grin, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Ares has made a mistake that people only make once: underestimating Megamind. Apparently, he’s still unaware we orchestrated our own distractions and removed the bombs right under his nose. He thinks there will be news about a bomb any minute now; even sent me another letter full of veiled hints to urge me along. He’s going to act tonight, so we will too. Simmons is waiting on my signal to release fake intel as a cover if we need it.”

“Hmm,” she agreed, watching him with concern. She needed to keep his mind off of… whatever was weighing on him. “You mentioned that the bombs were about Olivia… Is that the other point, besides distracting you?”

He was silent again.

“Darling?” Roxanne reached out to touch his arm. His muscles were stiff under her fingers. “Are you alright?”

“All this time,” he growled. Leather creaked as he clenched his gloved hands into tight fists. “All this time I’ve been a blind fool.”

“Megamind, Sweetheart, you’re not making any sense.”

“For the first few years of my life, no one knew what to do with me. They weren’t even sure whether Minion and I would grow up to be some kind of dangerous predators, but the only option besides jail was a government facility and you can guess how that would have gone. But by the time I went to shool? I was officially registered as a ward of the state, and I had a protected status. I should have gone to a foster home. They should have at least tried. But I was kept where I was. Criminals and murderers were allowed to raise me. Why?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“Think about it,” his voice was trembling with barely contained emotion. “Who builds a shool just a block away from a high-security prison? Who enrolls— no, _invites_ — an underage convict to attend a private academy? Who in their right mind raises a child in jail in the first place? And, in a class of a dozen students, the only two aliens in Metrocity just _happen_ to be there?” He laughed bitterly. 

"I'm missing something... What are you talking—Wait. The Little Gifted School... and the Peretti family owned the casino in the Fitz...”

“Your mind really is beautiful,” he informed her. This time his smile was more sincere, although it was sad around the edges. “Yes, we know who his targets are now, and our favorite Fed is still flying blind. “That was my point earlier. When victory is ours and Rickard is left empty-handed, it will be his own fault.” Something like petty satisfaction crossed his features. It looked entirely too much like one of his old villainous expressions. “Hero or not,” he stated, “I still have every intention of rubbing it in.”

“You seem pretty confident. Are you completely sure?”

“Yes, thanks to Rickard. He’s already told us more than he intended, and the information on his computer has confirmed it. I have all the puzzle pieces I need.”

"And it's someone in the Peretti family?"

"No, Love," at her look, he added: "Think about it logically, Sweetheart: Ares is expensive, and therefore usually only targets high rollers. We know that. We also know he has a strict, albeit warped, code that further dictates which hits he will and will not take. Then there is the fact that he felt it worthwhile to research my old shool, and that both the shool and the plates on our mystery man’s car were registered to the same anonymous trust. Finally, we have a connection to an arson fire ten years ago.”

“Yeah, but what do Ares’ previous kills have to do with the current one? Are the victims connected?”

“ _Were_ those previous hits, though, and if they were, was Ares really responsible?”

“Rickard said—”

“Rickard is a fool, and he’s wrong,” Megamind stated flatly. “Remember, our quarry always makes his kills significantly symbolic in some way. For example, there was a drug kingpin, big in cocaine smuggling, called The Snowman who Ares locked in a freezer and left to die. There was a politician named Horace Ferraro who was involved with the Nevada Water Scandal, where water reservoirs meant for community use and fire fighting were diverted to water casino lawns and supply their fountains. Ares drowned him in a toilet. Now, ask yourself this: why would Ares choose fire and explosions as the means of every attack in Metrocity thus far?”

And just like that, everything clicked into place. “Of course! His target is whoever was responsible for that fire! Which was aimed at an illegal business! And that was during the time that the Peretti Family was active in Metro City— who, if I recall correctly, owned the Fitzgerald! So the target has to be someone connected with them!”

“Exactly. Someone connected with a crime family and with the Little Shool for Gifted Children… Someone with enough political power and money to be worth Ares’ fees. There’s only one couple in Metrocity that fits the description.”

“Lord and Lady Smith!” Roxanne gasped. "That's why you keep saying ‘targets,’ plural, now. Oh, my God!"

“Yes,” Megamind said flatly.

"So you're saying they owned your old school? Why? Just for Wayne/"

"Yes," he said again, his tone was a moaning growl, alien harmonics he rarely used filling his tones. “It's like one, big, hilarious fucking joke." 

"What is?!" despite herself, she was growing frustrated.

"Isn't it obvious?! Wayne Scott was a bully with super-strength and damned lasers in his eyes! And he was spoiled—God, was he spoiled!—with no greater care in his privileged little life than getting whatever he wanted!”

“He was dangerous,” Roxanne could hardly speak the words, shocked realization squeezing the breath from her lungs.

“Yes! Exactly! And sooner or later, he was going to really hurt someone! That would have brought some very unwelcome scrutiny into his adopted parents’ lives! Although, of course, I’m sure when they brought the matter up—and they would have had to get support from city politicians—they were all loving concern and social consciousness.” he spat the words. “Oh, it must have been _so easy_ to get other people on board!” his tone became a mocking falsetto. “Poor little rich boy with all his special powers! He’s really a very good child deep down… Such a traumatic infancy… Having a hard time adjusting… Can you really blame him?… But, _of course_ , we understand we need to do something… Quite concerned… And, oh, don’t we just have the most brilliant solution!” 

Megamind scoffed, a dark scowl twisting his face before he continued. “It must have taken the Smiths less than ten minutes to convince every city official holding an office at the time that all Wayne needed was direction, focus, a _distraction!_ Something that made him look beyond himself! Something that made playing the good guy worth his while! And what child doesn’t love adoration?! There had to be an outlet for his powers, and if that wasn’t going to be his own selfish gain, then the only other clear option was heroism! For that, he needed a foil! Who better than the orphaned blue alien _freak_ nobody gave a damn about?!”

“You are not—”

“I know,” his voice cracked, and his features relaxed a little as he squeezed her hand. “I know that now, thanks to you, but back then, that’s the way everyone saw me: a creature, an outsider, a born criminal. _And they used that_.”

“But that’s… You can’t mean…”

Megamind suddenly slammed both palms against the steering wheel. 

“That is exactly what I mean!” he snarled. “Every time Wayne punished me for some so-called infraction—defending myself, trying to invent something for the class—the teacher praised him in front of everyone, gave him stickers and sweets and rewards! That became like his drug! That’s why he’s always been such a _public_ hero! It’s what he was conditioned to do: seek praise, shake hands, listen to the applause! In a way, they screwed him over almost as much as me! And me? The other students were _encouraged_ to bully me, ostracize me, even hurt me! No matter how hard I tried to do something right it was somehow _wrong!_ ”

Tears were streaming down Roxanne’s face. She couldn’t find any words, couldn’t do anything but hold him, stroke his head, let him vent his emotions while she tried to silently reassure him of her unwavering support and love. She felt utterly helpless as the man who meant the world to her buried his face in his trembling hands.

After a moment he lifted his head, staring blankly out the windshield. “Do you know,” he finally said, his voice like gravel, “how much I looked forward to shool when I first learned I would be going there? Intellectual and academic pursuits were the only things I felt I really excelled at; the only things that made me _good_ and _special_. And they took that away! Those bastards!” he hit the steering wheel again. “Those _bastards!_ _THEY TURNED ME INTO A VILLAIN ON PURPOSE!_ ”

The blue man dropped back against the black leather seat as if the last burst of fury had hollowed him out. His voice became quiet, almost despairing.

“All my life,” he stated blankly, “I have been nothing more than a puppet on a string.”

“Megamind, no, that’s not true,” Roxanne hugged him tighter. “Maybe they did mean to turn you into a supervillain—please listen to me, Sweetheart—maybe they did mean to do that. But you know what? I’ll bet they never meant for you to become the Mastermind. I’ll bet they never meant for you to take over the criminal underworld, piece by piece, and start cleaning up the city streets. And I’m damned sure they never meant for you to become a hero. You cut those strings a long time ago. Like you said before: they made a mistake people only make once; they underestimated Megamind. They’ve been paying for that stupid move ever since.”

“Yes,” he chuckled darkly and turned to her, green eyes glittering. “Yes, they have, haven’t they?” A smile of wicked delight tugged his mouth. “I must be the sharpest thorn in their sides! Oh, to see me dismantle their empire and take the place intended for their precious boy!” he laughed again. “That must have stung!”

“And you know what the worst part is?” Roxanne asked in conspiratorial tones.

“No, tell me.”

“You’re better at it than Wayne ever was—even without the superpowers—and people are starting to recognize that. You’ve driven crime rates to an all-time low. You inspire people to be better. I’m serious!” she added as her lover rolled his eyes. “Do you know what story I was working on before I had to disappear for a while? Charitable donations and volunteering are higher than ever in this city. Do you know why? Would you like to know what people told me in interviews? ‘If the Defender can turn his life around and become a hero, even though he’s pretty much an ordinary guy, then maybe I can make a difference, too.’”

“ _An ordinary guy?_ ” Megamind smirked, lifting an eyebrow and gesturing to himself.

“Okay, yes, you’re extraterrestrial, but my point is that you’re not some superhuman with godlike powers no one else can hope to obtain. As long as this city’s hero was up on some impossible pedestal, people felt excused in pretending they couldn’t do their part. But you? You may be smarter than anyone else on this planet, but there are plenty of highly intelligent humans out there. Your DNA didn’t gift you with practically preternatural abilities. People look at you— at how high the cards were stacked against you, at how much you care despite everything you had to overcome, and at all that you’ve achieved in a few short months— and suddenly they realize that they don’t have any reason not to at least try to make their city a better place.” 

The lines in his face had softened and his eyes had grown tender. “My Roxanne, my Precious Goddess of the Dawn,” he stroked her cheek. “You have no idea how… humbling and uplifting it is to know you see me that way, but I think you may be overestimating my influence.”

“I’m not. Trust me. If you want more proof, think about this: who else could have convinced law enforcement and _two separate gangs_ to work together for the common good? Wayne has been my friend for years, and I can tell you this right now: he never could have done it. But you did.” She cupped his face and pressed her forehead against his. “You have done so much he never could: bringing people together, defeating Titan, waking ordinary citizens up to the fact that they can save the day in their own small ways. And Megamind?” she kissed him. “You did one more thing Wayne couldn’t. You definitely got the girl.”

He bumped his nose against hers. “And that, my Dear Miss Ritchi, is the greatest reward I could ever dream of. I love you.”

“I love you, too. And I’m sorry people didn’t see your worth from the start.”

“You know, listening to you talk, I’m almost glad they didn’t. I wouldn’t be the man I am now if they had.”

“I’m so proud of you, Megamind,” she gently squeezed his leg just above his knee. “And it means a lot to me that you trusted me enough to let me share this burden.”

“Well,” he managed a wry grin that was almost up to his usual standards. “You know, I did promise to let you be here the next time I fell to pieces.”

“I’m glad I could be,” she kissed his cheek. 

"As am I."

"So Ares is going to kill the Smiths, but not with a bomb?"

“Yes, and not necessarily. I mean, it may be another bomb. I'm not sure. Flames at any rate. Either way, he's about to make a move. You're right: the bombs weren't merely a distraction. They were also intended as a threat, I think. One meant to force me into giving her back. He plans to attack his targets while I’m dealing with it. I would have told you sooner, but...” he gestured vaguely. 

“Yeah. We’ve been busy.” She patted his arm, then paused. "So what are we going to do now?"

"The right thing." There was stony determination in the blue hero's expression. “Let’s go find the Smiths. We have a villain to catch and a day to save.”

She couldn’t help it. She kissed him again. “You are the very best of all good guys to say that even after what those people did to you.”

“Hardly,” he cranked the ignition. “I’m the Defender of Metrocity,” there was fierce pride in his voice. “I will not allow my personal feelings to undermine that. Call Minion,” he ordered the car as he drove out of the parking deck.

The fishy sidekick’s voice sounded flustered over the speakers.

“Sir!”

“You heard the entire exchange at the precinct?”

“Yes, Sir, and… ah… afterward. Are you… Are you alright? Sir?” 

“I am, Minion, and I should be asking you the same question. You were a victim of the Little Gifted Shool plot, too.”

“Oh, absolutely fine, Sir!” The henchman's voice was warm, almost fluttery. “I’ve always been happy to be at your side, through thick and thin. But honestly, you took the worst of it. And don’t think I don’t know that was on purpose!” 

Even in profile, Roxanne could see Megamind blush. “Yes, well, no one messes with my best friend. Not when I’m around. Now,” he cleared his throat. “What’s our status report?”

“Yes, Sir, of course. I’ve got the supercomputer booted up, and brainbots are positioned around the city to tail Ares as soon as he moves.”

“Well done, you fantastic fish, you! Link me to the tracker so I’ll know the moment he does! And see if the brainbots can locate the Smiths!”

“You’ve got it, Boss!”


	31. Daylight and Dark Chapter 31 - A Race Against Time

Perhaps because of their long competition with the Criminal Mastermind, Lord and Lady Smith had evidently become very adept at eluding the blue hero’s detection. Hours of brainbot patrols, along with what Megamind cagily referred to only as “other methods,” had proved unsuccessful. Now evening had fallen, and as predicted, Ares had appeared on the tracker shortly after Megamind’s ruse had gone into effect. The Defender and his lover were speeding through the dark streets in the invisible car. Roxanne had wanted to return to the Lair for the hoverbikes, arguing greater speed and maneuverability— not to mention traffic avoidance— but her lover had vetoed the idea.

“The invisible car has three layers of body panels,” he’d explained. “The outer layer contains the light-bending hologram generators. Under that are both armor plating and a thermal soak heat shield. If something goes wrong, I want that extra protection.” He’d smiled at her disappointed moue, and added: “When this is over, we’ll go on a long afternoon flight. Watch the sunset above the city. I promise.”

So they were in the invisible car, a map with the tracking information superimposed over the windshield, Roxanne still trying to puzzle out how her lover could see well enough to drive.

“Transparent glass monitor?” she asked, gesturing.

He actually grinned despite the dire situation. “My latest invention!” he announced. “I knew it could be done!”

“So _that’s_ what you’ve been tinkering with late at night.”

“When I get an idea, I can’t let it go until I figure it out,” he said with an almost apologetic shrug. “Sometimes I can’t sleep because my mind won’t stop running through concepts and calculations. I hope I wasn’t waking you.”

“You weren’t. I just noticed sometimes you were gone, but I figured you were working.” She kissed his cheek. “I also noticed you made a point of coming back to bed before dawn.”

“Well, I can’t let my Lady Love wake up alone, now, can I? I know, I know,” he added at her wry look. “But this morning was unavoidable.”

She patted his knee. “I’m only teasing you, Darling. I know you’ve got things to do.” She gestured at the windshield. “You realize I’m going to want to hear all about how you managed this sometime, right?”

“It would be my pleasure. How about over coffee tomorrow?”

They both steadfastly refused to ignore the possibility that either of them might not be around when the morning came.

“It’s a date,” Roxanne said.

The restaurant Ares’ tracker led them to was one of the finest in Metro City, and the dinner crowd was packed with bespoke suits and designer dresses. If, as Megamind affirmed, Ares’ targets were usually “high rollers,” this place was crawling with them.

“Smart, choosing a location like this,” the blue hero said with grudging respect. “He’s practically counterbalanced the effect of the tracker by ensuring we still can’t easily spot his prey. Not a bad plan. If we hadn’t already figured out his targets, it might have even worked.”

Roxanne was scanning the crowd. “I don’t see them. Do you know what model sedan we’re looking for?”

“The one captured in the footage a few days ago looked like a newer Bentley Continental, but I can’t be sure they’ll be driving it tonight. In fact, I think it highly unlikely. Using the same vehicle for both criminal dealings and upper-class socializing would be incautious, and Lord Smith isn’t. But it will hardly matter if only we can reach Ares before he reaches his targets.”

“And what if he’s already near them? He seems like the sort to stalk his prey and wait for the right moment.”

Worry lines were creasing Megamind’s brow. “Don’t think I haven’t thought of that. Unless the patrols turn something up, however, all I can do is hope time is on our side.”

As if summoned by his words, points of red light swarmed through the darkness to their right, and several enthusiastically barking cyborgs sped up to fly level with the car window. A message scrolled across the top of the windshield.

“They’ve found the Smiths, and they’re still alive! Contact brainbots!” Megamind added to the AI. “Lead Daddy to them!” The flying constructs swerved back toward the right. The blue hero checked the display on the windshield as they turned sharply beside the restaurant. “That’s not good,” he stated. “You were right. Ares is in the same direction. We’ve got to get the Smiths out of there.”

He really was heroic, Roxanne thought. Lord and Lady Smith had nearly ruined his life, but he still wouldn’t allow them to be murdered. Not in his city. He probably wouldn’t have allowed it even back in his supervillain days, if for no other reason than it undermined his rules… If that hadn’t been the case, after their betrayal of the Peretti family, they would probably already be dead. She wondered if they knew they owed their blue enemy their lives.

She spotted the older couple waiting at a side entrance near the valet parking kiosk and pointed with an exclamation. A shiny black Aston Martin had just been pulled up, and a dark-haired man was getting out.

A distinctly ordinary dark-haired man of medium height... One who looked up a little too quickly when the invisible car screeched to a stop. Roxanne's mind automatically noted something off about him, but it took her a moment to recognize what it was.

Why was the valet wearing black cargo pants?

“Halt!” Megamind roared, leaping out. The other man threw himself over the hood of the vehicle and ran. Roxanne scrambled out of the car to catch up to her lover.

Lord Smith looked hardly less startled than Ares had. “What is the meaning of this?!”

“Do not get into that car!” Megamind shouted, his De-gun practically leaping into his hand. It was the wrong move. Lord Smith dodged for the open car door even as the blue hero fired over it, aiming for the fleeing figure beyond. Ares dodged around the corner a split second before the blast streaked by. Lady Smith screamed.

“Get in the car, Florence!” Lord Smith ordered.

“No!” Megamind yelled. “It’s a trap! Get out of there!”

“What’s the problem here?” a new voice demanded. Roxanne nearly groaned. What the hell was Rickard doing here?

Megamind was already jumping over the Aston Martin’s head in pursuit of his quarry. Sirens were wailing in the distance.

“That man pulled a gun on us!” Lord Smith accused.

“No! He’s after Ares!” shouted Roxanne.

“Funny!” Rickard sneered, his pistol in his hand. “I don’t see anyone else there! Megamind! Stop or I’ll shoot!”

“Don’t be an idiot!” screamed Roxanne. “Lady Smith! Get away from that car!”

“Don’t listen to her!” Rickard shouted. “You! Megamind! Freeze and put your hands up! You’re under arrest!”

The blue hero didn’t even slow, and Rickard took aim. 

“No!” Roxanne rushed toward the agent just as a bang shook the air. And Megamind… Megamind went down. “NO!” Roxanne’s knees cracked against the asphalt as her legs dropped from under her.

“Lord and Lady Smith,” Rickard flashed his badge. “I’ll need you to come down to the central precinct and answer some questions...” 

Lord Smith was saying something. A car door slammed.

“Roxanne!” Megamind’s voice yelled, close. “Get away! Get away!” She scrambled to obey. Behind her, a blue light flashed. 

“Brainbots!” she heard her lover shout.

“What the hell?!” Roxanne spun around just in time to see a black and blue blur knock Rickard back hard, flipping him over apparently thin air.

The wind was knocked out of Roxanne as she was suddenly jerked off her feet and practically thrown around the corner of the building. Something heavy crashed down on top of her.

The world exploded with sound. The street shook. Orange light erupted around the corner, and heat swept past them. Roxanne’s ears were ringing. Megamind pulled her to her feet. His mouth was moving, his face contorted with concern, but it was as if someone had pressed a mute button on the entire universe. Oh, God, had she gone deaf?

She must have looked panicked because the blue hero clutched her close, gently pressing her head against his shoulder with one hand and rubbing her back with the other. She felt dizzy, and she wasn’t sure how many minutes they stood there before sound began filtering back in. Screaming. People were screaming. Sirens were screaming. The very air was screaming. It was too much, too loud, and she almost wished for the eerie silence again as every strident noise stabbed right through her eardrums and into her brain. 

Somehow, Megamind’s gentle voice, thick with emotion, pierced the chaos.

“I had to choose you, Sweetheart. Duty and reputation be damned. I had to choose you.”

“Megamind...” she said, holding him tighter. “I thought… You fell and…”

“Shhh. Just the force from the bullet, Love. He hit me right between the shoulder blades and I was already overbalanced, running. It knocked me off my feet. But I’m not hurt. I’m here, Roxanne. I’m here. Everything’s fine. You’re alright.”

With an effort, the woman pulled herself up straighter. Yes, she was alright. And she still had a job to help him do.

“We have to find Ares,” she said.

His eyes were proud as he brushed a knuckle down her cheek. “My Brave Angel.” He held her tight once more, only for a moment, then released her. “Yes, we are going to find him,” his face had gone cold and stern: the look of the Mastermind. “He is going down. Tonight.” His expression softened a little. “But you know what I have to do first.” He pulled her close and kissed her hard. “I love you, Roxanne Ritchi.”

“I love you too, Megamind.”

He nodded and pressed something on his holowatch to bring up the tracking information.

“Let’s go.”


	32. Daylight and Dark Chapter 32 - The God of War

Eyes darting constantly down to his wrist, Megamind led Roxanne around the back of the restaurant, away from all the commotion. They followed the signal through an alley, rank with the smell of spoiled garbage, and down a side street.

“In there,” the blue hero nodded to indicate a large parking deck looming ahead. 

Together they made their way cautiously through the concrete structure, the air cool and scented with motor oil, the grimy yellow lights doing little but make the shadows darker. Megamind checked the holowatch and drew his De-Gun, holding its muzzle down but at the ready. He motioned with his head, indicating that they should go up. On the third floor, he became even more guarded, keeping to the shadows, ducking behind vehicles and pillars, darting looks around before motioning Roxanne to follow him to the next piece of cover.

They might as well have saved themselves the trouble.

“Hesperos, so nice of you to join me,” a cultured voice drawled, echoing in the cavernous space.

“Ares,” Megamind’s voice was carefully neutral. “I would say it’s nice of you to visit, but a gentleman doesn’t lie.”

“Indeed,” the voice mused. “I am glad to know you have not entirely changed.”

“Only what needed changing.”

“Ever the idealist,” Ares crooned. “Tell me, is the Hero of Metro City a coward? Why not come out where I can see you?”

“Why don’t you? I can dodge folly without stumbling over fear. Nor will I be goaded into rashness by pride, so you may as well give that up. While I have my faults, Ares, stupidity isn’t one of them.”

“I only wish to talk,” the words reverberated from the darkness. “I am not your enemy.”

“Why do I find that hard to believe?” Megamind asked. “Oh, wait, it must be all the threatening letters. And the multiple attempts to kill me.”

“You were interfering with my business, and I did give you fair warning.” The echoes made the voice difficult to pinpoint.

“ _You_ were interfering with _my_ city,” Megamind responded meaningfully, his eyes and De-Gun sweeping the shadows. “You should have expected nothing less.”

“Ah, yes, the noble Defender, who also happens to rule the underworld with an _iron fist_.”

“Means to an end, Ares,” it seemed the blue hero had finally discerned his foe’s location. He had to move two steps out from cover for a clear shot, and he aimed his firearm with new purpose.

“Then you will not even speak with me?”

“We’re speaking now,” the hero stated. “If you have something to say, say it.”

“Lower your weapon first.”

“You’re hardly in a position to make demands. Come out where I can see you and put down your own gun. Then I’ll consider it.”

“Indeed,” the voice chuckled derisively. “And how do I know you won’t shoot as soon as I’m disarmed?”

“I could shoot you now,” Megamind firmed his grip on the De-Gun as if to prove the point. “But I won’t unless you give me a reason. You have my word.”

Roxanne didn’t really expect Ares to do it. She nearly gasped when a figure took shape from the darkness, stepping slowly into the dim, gray light. For once, Ares actually looked the part of a villain. He had discarded the valet jacket and stuffed his dark cargo pants into black combat boots. His face was obscured by the hood of a black waterproof coat that looked as if it had once been military issue. The hairs on the back of Roxanne’s neck stood on end. She could only think of one reason why Ares might have opted for a clothing change

Her uncle had owned a jacket like that; a souvenir from his army days. It had included false pockets intended to fit over holsters and inner compartments for ammunition.

Slowly, deliberately, the assassin clicked the safety on his pistol and, just as Roxanne had suspected, secreted it away in one of the jacket’s hidden seams.

Determined not to let the man she loved stand alone, the reporter stood from her crouch and moved out from her position behind a small SUV. Megamind would probably say it was a bad strategy, and she would do better to keep the element of surprise, but she needed to be by his side for this. She needed him to know she was with him all the way.

Megamind barely glanced at her before he lowered and holstered his own gun. Roxanne wished he wouldn’t, but she understood. Ares respected honor, or at least his version of it; Megamind couldn’t afford to seem anything less than chivalrous. The two men stared at one another in silence.

“It has been a long time, my friend,” Ares said quietly.

Megamind didn’t respond for a moment. Roxanne had the distinct impression he wanted to say something like: _not long enough_ , but, of course, he was too intelligent to antagonize the assassin. 

“It must be nearly three decades now,” he said at last.

“You’ve grown up and made a name for yourself. Finally, you have won the respect of all those peons you so desperately wanted to impress… Tell me, is acceptance all you imagined it would be?”

Megamind shifted slightly closer to Roxanne. “I’ve learned I only need the acceptance of a few who matter.”

“Indeed,” Ares turned his face toward Roxanne. She could just make out part of a chin, the tip of a nose, light glinting off eyes under the deep hood. 

_Strange_ , she thought. _I just saw him twenty minutes ago, but I can’t remember what his face looks like_.

“Ah, the famous Miss Ritchi,” Ares crooned. “The woman who tamed this monster.” Roxanne fought not to shudder. Something in the way he spoke told her, beyond doubt, that he was purposefully paraphrasing her own words from an old report on Megamind. How much did this man know about her?

 _He uses fear like a weapon_ , Megamind had said. Well, she wasn’t going to let that happen.

Lifting her chin, she spoke with a firm calm that she wished she could feel. “He was never a monster,” she informed the assassin.

“How many others would agree with you? No, you give yourself too little credit. I name you Saint Martha the Golden.” He bowed, the gesture at odds with his paramilitary attire, but there was a quarter-turn of irony in Ares’ voice.

Megamind tensed beside her, but it was Roxanne who spoke first, her temper sparking. “I studied Medieval literature,” she informed him coldly. “I know who Saint Martha the Golden was, and what happened to the dragon that made the mistake of trusting her. If Megamind is supposed to be the Tatasque, I don’t much like your allusion.”

“Oh, very good,” it was impossible to tell whether the slight mockery in Ares’ chuckle was intentional or merely habitual. “She is a cunning one, Hesperos. Very well,” Roxanne could feel his gaze back on her. “You shall be Sinéad the Beautiful, and he shall be your Tam Lin.”

“Did you really bring me out here for a mythology lesson?” Megamind asked. “Your targets are dead. You’ve won. I’m not really one for long goodbyes, Ares, so why don’t you just move along?”

“Dead? Oh, no. The Smiths were never my targets,” there was a grin in the assassin’s voice. “Lord Smith was my client.” His gaze was still focused on Roxanne. “ _She_ ,” he gestured. “Was my target. That was the point of all the flames, you know. The way you are described in the media, Sinéad… ‘warm,’” he quoted. “‘Bright,’ ‘incendiary passion,’ ‘sparkling wit,’ ‘a firecracker,’ ‘full of burning determination…’ Flames and explosions were really the only fitting choice, don’t you agree?”

Roxanne could feel Megamind shaking with rage, could swear she actually felt heat pouring off of him. “No,” he hissed. “You _warned_ me. You never warn your targets!”

“Ah, but I counted on you disregarding my warning, Hesperos. I counted on you blaming yourself, losing yourself in hatred, hunting fruitlessly for the identity of my ‘real’ target, convinced your precious Miss Ritchi’s death had been mere vengeance. Meanwhile, I would deal with that filth Johnson and whisk my daughter away to safety. And where would that leave you?”

“HUNTING YOU FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!” Megamind snarled, his hand flinching toward his De-Gun. It took obvious effort not to pull it.

“Yes!” Ares’ dark laugh sounded half-insane. “Exactly! Myself and anyone else you thought might be involved! Just like poor, dear old Kip Kendall! You must see it now, Hesperos; my job was not simply to eliminate your lover, but to return you to villainy in the process! Oh, yes, my friend. As both the local Defender and the Criminal Mastermind, you wielded far too much power for Smith’s liking. You had already taken Metro City’s underworld from him, and now you were frightening the corruption out of his porcine political friends. Too many of Smith’s ever-dwindling allies were no longer willing to risk your wrath. Too many were abandoning him, and his kingdom was growing ever smaller," Ares laughed again, the sound cold enough to burn. "The king had lost his crown. And he blamed Miss Ritchi, your Sinéad the Beautiful: the lady who tamed the monster and made him the shining knight. With her gone, the self-proclaimed lord was certain your fall back into infamy would be inevitable, and I was to be the weapon of your destruction! However,” Ares’ voice softened. Somehow, it made Roxanne think of a snake. “You then did something I did not expect. You rescued Olivia. I hacked into the Family Services database. I read the file. Did you know that a certain Miss Klossner called you the best foster parents in her experience to date? Oh, yes. Olivia, my Olivia, was said to be ‘happy, secure, and adjusting extremely well.’ Do you understand now? Honor demanded that I protect the ones who protected my child! That alone would have bought you a measure of mercy! A measure of mercy from me, but not freedom from your adversary's threat. Once Olivia was back in my custody and my debt to you was paid, your fate would have been your own. Smith, however, then made a critical mistake: he lied to me. I had been told that your Sinéad was more a beast than a beauty; that she was using you to further her career. That she had, in fact, lured a lovestruck young man into villainy and ruined his life simply so that she could be at the center of another front-page story. Smith claimed that your turn toward heroism had less to do with your own heart and more to do with her greedy desire to preserve her fame after your nemesis fell. I began to suspect otherwise when she joined you at the Harlequin Club—a woman of the sort Smith described might possibly put her life in danger for the sake of attention, but certainly not in disguise—and reading about the "healthy relationship" and "stable home environment" described in the Family Services document further convinced me. That is when I decided to turn upon my employer." His voice grew dark. "Lord Smith had impugned my honor, and that carries a price. He would never have rested until Sinéad was dead, even if I refused him. Thus he had to be eliminated.”

“And his wife?" the Defender asked. "What did she do to deserve that?”

“Her only crime, I’m afraid, was merely being a fool. She was foolish enough to marry a man like Smith, foolish enough to turn a blind eye to his obvious operations… Foolish enough to die.”

“And now they’re dead. What more do you want, Ares?” Megamind nearly growled. 

There was silence for a heartbeat. “I want,” the assassin answered slowly, “my daughter. Give Olivia to me, and I will leave your city in peace.”

“And if I don’t? Do you plan to set off those ingenious little bombs you hid around the city? The real ones. I mean? You needn’t look so surprised, Ares. I am, after all, Megamind: incredibly handsome heroic genius and quite literally the smartest person on Earth.” 

“Yet you remain so very humble,” sneered the assassin.

“It isn’t bragging if it’s true,” Megamind showed his teeth. “I realized seven of the fourteen devices were fakes, distractions, but I also knew that the Ares I remembered would surely have plans layered on plans. You learned from me, after all. I knew you could have created enough ammonium nitrate and pentaerythritol tetranitrate for seven bombs, but not for double that number. Then you made the mistake of trusting a crawling worm like Gunner Ingram. Don’t you know I own the gangs in this town? I already had my suspicions, and as soon as I heard the locations of all your little surprises, I knew I was correct. You see, even before I became the Defender, I always took an interest in the well-being of Metrocity.” 

Ares narrowed his eyes. “And why, precisely, should that concern me?”

“You know perfectly well,” Megamind's smile was full of a wolf’s slyness. “Seven seems to be the number of choice. Seven. One for each year of your daughter’s life. One for each of the decoy bombs,” he lowered his voice, a knowing gleam in his eyes. “One for each of the children of Cronos plus one for the god of war. 

“Oh, you were clever, I will admit that. You only sent your errand boy GPS coordinates, not location names or addresses. He couldn’t even give us more than descriptions of some of the places the bombs had been left. It was hard to theorize about the connections at first, but Roxanne here had said something very insightful: you might choose locations associated with what each of the original Greek Gods represented, rather than with the deities themselves. So when I learned that only seven of the devices you planted were in clearly connected locations, I realized that the others had to be somewhere more… metaphorical. Then it hit me: just as there were seven real devices, there are also seven organizations in Metrocity especially significant to me: There are the Dragons and the Ghost Riders: my allies in the criminal world, both of whom you tried— and failed— to turn against me. Then there’s the police and the prison I once called home. Finally, there is the hospital, shelter, and adult learning center I helped found." 

It was Ares’ turn to snarl, and Roxanne was pleased to realize that Megamind had thrown him off balance. 

“Zeus, I realized," Megamind continued, "might be associated with the police through his connection with the law. The leader of the Riders calls himself Reaper, a clear parallel with Hades. The shelter gives people a safe place to live while they get on their feet, and can easily be connected to Hestia, the goddess of home and hearth. Demeter was more difficult until I remembered Bona Dea. She is associated with Demeter— even part of Demeter’s name comes from the word Dea— and they were both once honored as fertility deities in similar manners. Possibly they were one and the same. Bona Dea, however, was also connected with healing and, more importantly, with the poor. That made the teaching hospital an obvious choice. Then there are the Dragons, whose emblem is blue, who have a shipping-based smuggling operation, and whose territory largely borders Lake Michigan. Poseidon is said to have had a pet sea dragon called Cetus. I won’t deny that Hera was the most difficult. She didn’t seem to be associated with any of the organizations under my protection, and I knew all too well that you might change things up. You might try to throw me off by choosing a more obvious location for one of the explosives. But then it occurred to me that your mother was a _professor_ , and that Hera, the goddess of childbirth, was _the mother of Ares_. That’s how I knew the sixth real device was the one at the adult learning center. Then, finally, of course, there is the prison, a place where every day feels like a battle for survival. A place that shaped you, Ares, into what you are. Oh yes,” Megamind chuckled darkly. “I figured out your little trick. I found and disarmed every one of those devices.”

“You’re forgetting your own lessons,” the other man said, his voice snide. “Aren’t you the one who always said: ‘always have a backup plan and a backup plan for your backup plan?’”

“You’ve been locked down for days, and I removed your errand boy from the equation,” Megamind shook his head. “You wouldn’t have had time to plant another bomb… Unless…” Roxanne could feel her lover stiffen by her side.

“Yes,” Ares hissed. “Now you understand.”

“You’re insane. You’ll die too.”

“Perhaps that is a price I’m willing to pay.”

Megamind studied him. “No,” he said. “You’re not. That would leave Olivia in the custody of the state, and that’s not something you’re willing to do.”

“Very good,” Roxanne could hear the smirk in Ares’ voice. He reached for a different pocket, and Megamind’s hand darted toward his gun again, but all Ares brought out was a car key on a fob. “I’ve brought a friend with me. Would you like to see him?”

The assassin clicked a button on the key fob, and a car’s headlights burst to life illuminating part of the darkened garage. There, bound and gagged in a chair, a bomb duct-taped to his chest, was Andro.

“You see, it’s really very simple,” Ares said. “You have someone dear to me, and I have someone dear to your lady. I propose a friendly, mutual exchange, and we both leave this place in peace. If you refuse me…” There was evil glee in Ares’ tone. “Well, perhaps you can dismantle the bomb before it explodes, but I doubt it. So,” the assassin’s tone became snidely self-satisfied. “What will you choose? Will you cooperate? Will you sacrifice your lover’s friend? Or will you die trying to prove what a noble hero you are?” 

_Please_ , Roxanne thought desperately. _Please, Megamind, do something!_

“Indeed,” the blue man sneered. “All this time I thought you actually cared about Olivia. I should have known better.”

Ares growled. “I _love_ my daughter! Why else would I want her with me?!”

Megamind’s laugh was one-hundred-percent supervillain as he clapped his hands sardonically. “Oh,” he sighed as if enjoying a particularly good joke. “Oh, that really is too much.” He pressed slender blue hands against his chest in a mockery of a melodramatic damsel, a sarcastic smile twisting his features, derision ringing in every word. “You l-l-love her!” The alien’s green eyes glowed with malicious mirth. “You! Of all people!” He laughed again. “Oh, that is _priceless_!”

Ares aimed a look of pure hatred straight at his enemy, earning him another dark, jeering chortle. Roxanne, however, had been focused elsewhere. Had Megamind’s finger just flicked to a button on his watch in Ares’ moment of distraction?

A shadow detached itself from the darkness. A shadow with nothing visible to cast it.

A shadow that looked a lot like an invisible brainbot floating to the back of Andro’s chair.

“You love her,” Megamind repeated, shaking his head. “You love her enough to, what? Give her a life of seedy motels and bloody secrets? Make her a target for anyone who goes after you? Ensure her every moment is drowned fear and darkness?”

Andro’s eyes widened as he felt something loosening the ropes on his arms.

“Is that your idea of love, Ares?” Megamind continued, face shifting to something almost furious. “Is that what you think?! Love,” he snapped pointedly, “is looking at another person, flaws and all, and seeing someone so precious that they become the new sun in your solar system! Love is caring so deeply for another being that their very existence changes your entire world! Love is being not only willing but glad to make sacrifices of yourself! It means doing what is best for someone else, even when it hurts, because they mean more to you than you do!” 

The severed ropes seemed to slide themselves from around Andro’s arms. The ones around his wrists started loosening.

“ _That is love, Ares!_ ” Megamind was shouting. “Can you even begin to comprehend it, let alone feel it?! If you really loved Olivia, you would care about what she needs, not what you want! She is happy and safe with me! She has a family! Why would you take that away from her?!”

Andro’s wrists came free, their bindings lowering themselves gently to the floor.

“What do you think will happen when the state overrules her caseworker?!” the assassin demanded. “Do you really believe that the system will allow a human child to be raised by an _alien_ who spent most of his life as a _supervillain?!_ Don’t be a fool, Hesperos! The system is broken, and you know it well!”

The cords around Andro’s legs loosened.

“It _is_ broken!” Megamind shouted back. “And, yes, I know it better than most! But I also know something else: _how to create!_ I build things, Ares! Things this world has never even imagined, let alone seen! Machines, technology, and _systems!_ During the course of that, I have seen more failures than I care to count. Do you know what I do when that happens? I don’t destroy what I’ve made! I don’t blow it to pieces! I figure out what needs to change _and I fix it!_ ”

Slowly, carefully, Andro stood up. As quietly and cautiously as he could, Roxanne’s friend pulled his arms into his coat.

“Enough!” Ares sounded flustered now, unbalanced and angry. “You cannot fix what is beyond repair! And I will not let my daughter’s well-being rest upon blind idealism! You have one choice before you now, and I suggest you make it before I lose my patience! But know this: whatever your decision may be, I will have my daughter! When I leave this city, she will leave with me! The only question is whether the three of you will find so happy an ending! Think carefully, Hesperos!”

Roxanne hardly dared to breathe, fought to keep her attention on Ares, as Andro pulled the coat gradually over his head and carefully laid it, the bomb still attached, on the seat of the chair.

Beside her, her lover drew himself up to his full height. “My name,” he said with slow, firm deliberation, “is Megamind. And my answer is _no_.”

Lights suddenly blazed as three brainbots dropped their invisibility shields. From the retro boombox supported by a fourth, Iron Maiden’s The Trooper split the night.

Ares’ hand darted to one of his pockets just as Andro rushed him from behind and Megamind’s De-Gun appeared in his grasp. The Defender of Metro City fired at his opponent's feet, not wanting to hit Andro, and Ares jumped to avoid the blast. It bought the few vital seconds they needed, and just as the assassin retrieved something black and rectangular from his pocket, Andro slammed into his back, sending him sprawling. The killer’s cell phone, almost certainly connected to a detonating device, skittered across the floor, and Roxanne darted forward to kick it under a car. It didn’t go quite far enough on the rough pavement, sliding only a few inches beyond the front bumper. She turned to face the fight, determined that if Ares moved for the phone she would stand in his way no matter the cost. 

Sounds of snarling and heavy blows came from the two men struggling on the floor. Ares had freed one arm, and Andro already sported a split lip. As Roxanne watched, their enemy’s fist slammed into the other man’s side. The cameraman jerked in pain and was too slow to block as Ares’ other arm swung to connect with his jaw. Although Andro had gotten in the first punch thanks to the element of surprise, his fighting skills weren’t in the assassin’s class.

Megamind’s were.

The hero leaped into the fray, jerking his foe up slamming a punch into his jaw that sent him reeling. Ares surged instantly to his feet, pistol in hand. Megamind twisted, turning his head sharply to the side and leaning back at the same moment his arm shot out to knock Ares’ wide. A bullet ricocheted harmlessly off of a concrete pillar. Grabbing the assassin’s wrist, the blue man spun back the other way and slammed an open palm into his opponent’s elbow. The gun clattered to the pavement and Megamind kicked it aside. Ares yanked himself free and leaped back, then charged again. Light flashed on sharp steel as his arm slashed down. Megamind’s own arm swung up to block, knocking Ares’ blow aside. The assassin’s other hand was already darting straight for Megamind’s torso, a second weapon in his grasp. Were those _daggers?_ The hero spun to the side, keeping his blocking arm high, and swung his leg around to crash into the back of Ares’ knee. The man stumbled, barely managing to keep his feet, but he twisted as he did, reversing the momentum to nearly throw Megamind off balance and wrenching himself from the hero's grasp. The blue man instantly regained his footing, spinning around to meet the next attack.

Ares, however, had a new target in sight. Viper-fast, he twisted around and sprung, blades raised, straight for Roxanne.

The world seemed to slow for just a moment. Roxanne didn’t think, didn’t freeze… Her body simply took over. Hours upon hours of training had her muscles automatically moving, jumping to the right, turning, one arm darting up to block Ares’ left blade, the other swinging down to knock aside the right. She pivoted, slamming an elbow back into the assassin’s gut at the same moment her foot crashed down on his insole and she jerked his arm over her shoulder, throwing her weight forward. The next moment Ares was on his back on the hard pavement, the wind knocked from his lungs.

Roxanne didn’t have time to feel proud of herself, though. She scrambled back a few steps as, with a wheezing snarl, the assassin sprung to his feet. The woman threw herself to the side just as he leaped forward… 

And found himself staring down the barrel of the De-Gun. 

The reporter blinked. Megamind had appeared between them so fast it was almost like he had super-speed of his own. She hadn’t even seen him draw his weapon again!

Her lover glared at their adversary, his face more cold and dangerous than she had ever seen it.

“Drop 'em,” he commanded.

Ares’ daggers clanged to the ground. Then he smiled.

“A backup plan for every backup plan.” His hand darted for the key fob hung on his belt.

The world exploded in noise as Ares’ shoulder seemed to explode in blood. Roxanne fought not to wince as hot liquid splattered her. The assassin snarled in rage and pain, his arm going limp.

Behind him, Andro was standing, feet set wide, the assassin’s own pistol in a two-handed grasp.

“Alright, you son of a bitch,” he growled. “My daddy was a Marine marksman, and he taught me well. One more move and I blow your ugly head off.”

Megamind grinned at Ares, and, still aiming his weapon with one hand, casually unclipped the key fob from the other man’s belt loop. “I’ll take this, thank you. Keep the gun on him, Andro,” he added. “Roxanne, search him.” She did, thoroughly patting down the assassin and removing several cartridges of ammunition, brass knuckles, and a switchblade.

Ares lifted his chin. “Give me a proper death, Hesperos.”

“Death,” Megamind mused. “You know, I probably would be doing society a favor.” He stepped back and lifted the De-Gun. Flicking the cylinder to change the setting, he aimed straight for the other man’s head. “But luckily for you, I really am a hero.” He fired, and a glowing blue cube clinked to the pavement. Silence reigned for several heartbeats.

“Well,” Andro finally said with a shaky laugh. “I don’t think I did too bad for my first time playing the damsel.”

Roxanne felt her own hysterically relieved giggle bubbling up from her chest.

“That was like something straight out of an action movie,” she assured her friend.

“Uh, yeah,” he admitted. “It was almost a direct quote from Bloodshed.”

In the distance, more police sirens wailed.

* * *

“You’ve missed all the fun, I’m afraid,” Megamind announced, striding into a chaos of flashing blue lights, Roxanne and Andro at his back.

The Metro City police all lowered their weapons. Beside an unmarked car, Agent Rickard didn’t do the same. He looked a little worse for wear after the blast, but throwing him behind the invisible car had clearly saved him from any serious harm.

The fed didn’t seem particularly grateful. “Where the hell is Nelson?” he demanded.

“Right here,” Megamind dangled a clear plastic sandwich bag from his fingers, the luminous blue cube tucked safely inside. He’d started carrying Ziplocks with him everywhere after a sudden rainstorm had resulted in his having to catch the same car thief twice.

Rickard started to holster his gun and move forward just as Megamind turned his attention to one of the other law enforcement officers.

“Sergeant Perez, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir, Defender.”

Megamind closed the distance between them and handed over his prize. “Whatever you do, don’t let him get wet until after he’s in a cell,” he advised.

“Now hold on just one damn minute! This is a federal case!” snarled Rickard. “And you’re still under arrest! Obstructing justice! Endangerment!”

“Like hell, he is,” Sergeant Perez stepped forward. “He’s caught Nelson, meaning he was serving justice, and he had a valid reason to discharge his firearm. You know no court will convict him.”

“He withheld information!”

The blue alien’s smile was sharp. “As did you, Agent.” The other man glowered, but Megamind raised his voice over the fed’s objections. “In fact, you withheld information that would have saved the life of Lord Smith if I had known it sooner!”

That shut Rickard up.

“What are you talking about?” the sergeant asked.

“The final clue I needed was something _this man_ ,” the hero threw his free hand out toward Rickard, “had for some time. Lord Smith would still be alive if Ranger Rick here had cared more about catching a murderer than he did about having a pissing contest.”

“And how did you get my files?!” Rickard looked livid. Clearly, he couldn’t be silenced for long. “Which one of these idiots gave them to you?!”

“Why, you let the clue I needed slip yourself. When you were gloating to Malachi over the supposed incompetence of Metro City’s Finest. You mentioned a fire you claimed was started by Ares. It wasn’t, by the way. Completely wrong assumption. But it did lead me to make a connection you apparently missed.”

“You filthy son of a—”

Megamind ignored the agent and turned toward the local officer instead. “I trust, Sergeant Perez, that the precinct can work out the details of extraditing Eric Nelson to other states as charges require?”

The other man grinned. “We sure can, Blue.”

Megamind whistled and held out a hand. A brainbot appeared from behind the police line, racing over to its master and dropping another blue cube into his palm.

“Do I even want to know?” asked Perez.

“This,” the hero said, handing over the object, “is Lady Smith. Sadly, due to _unnecessary interference_ ,” he cast a meaningful glare at Rickard. “I was only able to dehydrate one of them before the explosion.”

“And I suppose that fancy gun of yours couldn’t have just dehydrated the damned car!” spat the agent. “Super-genius my ass! Just wait until—”

“With Lord Smith inside?” Megamind interrupted, lifting a sardonic eyebrow. “ _Along with a bomb set to go off on any second?_ Oh, wouldn’t _that_ have been a surprise for whoever re-hydrated him!” Megamind turned pointedly away from Rickard and back to Perez. “I trust that you can handle the… Unfortunate explanation? I really don’t think I would be the best person to do it. The Smiths and I had a… Complicated relationship.”

“Complicated—Oh, right, because of Metro Man," Perez nodded. Megamind didn't correct him. "Yeah, Defender. We’ve got officers that specialize in… breaking that kind of news.”

“Thank you,” Megamind clapped the man on the shoulder. “Well, then, it appears my work here is done! Roxanne, my Darling,” he offered his arm, then turned to the other side. “Can we drop you somewhere, Andro, or would you like to come by the Lair for supper and medical treatment? It looks like you’re going to be bruised nearly as blue as I am by morning.”

Andro perked up. “You mean it? There’s no way I’m missing a visit to the Secret Lair!”

“Hey!” Rickard was seething. “This is still a federal matter! You can’t just—”

“To the victor belong the spoils,” Megamind informed him, wagging the forefinger of his free hand. “I’ll leave the next dick-measuring competition between you and the MCPD. I do hope you’ve managed to get onto Police Chief Simmons’ good side. Oh,” he turned back to Perez and handed him a third blue cube in a bag. “You’ll want to get this over to a bomb squad. I’ve disabled the device, but there’s a lot of explosive material dehydrated in there.”

“This is my case!” shouted Rickard. “I tracked down Nelson! I could have—”

“Oh, ho, ho!” Megamind’s sarcastic laugh rang out. “You’re hilarious! Really! Come on, you only found him because you followed me! Don’t think I didn’t notice, although I’d like to know how you managed to tail an invisible car. Rest assured, I _will_ be checking it thoroughly for tracking devices. You had best hope I don’t find one. I doubt your superiors will look kindly on your chasing a city’s hero when you should have been chasing a killer. Especially when this hero,” he indicated himself, “did your job for you! How long did you say you’d been trying to catch Ares? Two years, wasn’t it?” He laughed again and raised his voice. “Two years he’s had this case! Two months we’ve had it! Oh, his boss is going to love that!”

“You’re supposed to hand over the suspect to my custody!” Rickard’s rage was tinged with something like desperation now.

“Oh, good heavens!” Megamind raised both eyebrows in an expression of mock horror. “I wouldn’t want you to compromise your principles, Agent! I know how strongly you feel about working with mere citizens and—what was it he called me, Sweetheart? An egomaniac in a leotard?”

“I think that was it, yes.” She smiled. “I seem to also recall him saying he _didn’t_ want your help.”

“You see, Rickard?” Megamind gestured grandly. “I’m sure you’ll be much more comfortable going through the full, proper extradition process with _qualified_ law enforcement.”

“You’re doing it again! You’re obstructing justice right now!”

“Hardly. I am the Defender of Metrocity. I have apprehended a criminal and handed him over to the Metrocity police. That is exactly what I’m supposed to do. Now, if you’ll excuse us,” he turned one of those wonderful, troublemaker’s grins on Roxanne. “Beloved, you look like a woman badly in need of some quality time with a big, blue alien dick.”

“Oh, I am,” Roxanne purred her agreement, delighted by the way Agent Rickard spluttered and choked. “I really, really am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the French legend of Saint Martha the Golden, the aforementioned lady was called upon to save a village from a man-eating dragon-like beast called the Tatasque. Through kindness and gentleness, she tamed the creature, only to lead it back into the village it had ravaged, where local men stabbed it to death with spears. The Tatasque had been so thoroughly domesticated by Saint Martha that it never even tried to defend itself.
> 
> \------
> 
> The Scottish tale of Tam Lin is more complex, and has scores of versions and variations. It revolves around the titular character, a wicked Fey lord with a special disdain for humanity and a nasty reputation, especially where women are concerned. (In some renditions of the folktale, he is not Fey, but a mortal man who was kidnapped by the Good Folk. In the earliest ones, however, he is himself one of the immortals.) Tam Lin was changed forever by a gorgeous and kind-hearted mortal woman called Sinéad the Beautiful, (partially Anglicized as Bonnie Janet in later adaptions.) The daughter of a local Scottish nobleman, Sinéad disregarded warnings to stay away from Carterhaugh forest, where Tam Lin dwelled. In some retellings, she was merely rash, informing the Fey that the forest was part of her father's land, so she didn't need Tam Lin's permission to pick wild roses there. In many others, however, she was actually set to be married to an "old gray knight," and sought Tam Lin on purpose, knowing that if she were not a virgin, the knight would no longer want her. (In several of the "rose picking" balladic versions, there is no impending marriage, and the "old gray knight" is only mentioned as the first person to notice her swelling belly.)
> 
> To absolutely ensure her wedding would be called off, Sinéad asked Tam Lin to father a child on her. At first—perhaps secretly touched by her gentle nature and her unfair plight—he refused. Although haughty and aloof in his manner toward her, Tam Lin did not force Sinéad to leave his land. (Her residence there kept her safe from her would-be bridegroom.) Over time, the Fey fell deeply in love with Sinéad, repented his ways, and, after proving he had truly reformed, won the lady's heart. He also agreed to her original request, and by the time Sinéad had to return to her father's house, she was pregnant. As predicted, the old knight refused to marry her. Her father demanded to know who had sired her child, and when she explained it was a Fey lord and she would marry no noble of her father's house, he became distraught and told her she'd have to go back to the child's father. Sinéad did so willingly.
> 
> A Fey queen sought to separate the lovers, however. (In some variants she became incensed by her noble's fraternizing with a human, in some the queen simply desired Tam Lin for herself, but in most Tam Lin was enthralled to her and needed Sinéad's help freeing himself.) The queen transformed Tam Lin into a series of increasingly terrifying creatures, but Sinéad steadfastly refused to release him from her embrace, saying that she would love him no matter what he looked like. In the end, the queen was forced to relinquish her claim on Tam Lin, and the Fey lord consented to marry Sinéad in the manner of her people. Some versions of the tale describe how, even after his mortal wife passed away, Tam Lin not only continued to refrain from harming humans, but on occasion was known to protect them.
> 
> \------
> 
> Fans of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe novels may recognize a couple of pieces of Megamind's dialogue. The statement: "I can dodge folly without stumbling over fear" is paraphrased from a line Nero Wolfe speaks in the novel The Doorbell Rang. Likewise, our favorite blue hero's line: "Two years he’s had this case! Two months we’ve had it!" is adapted from a line spoken by Archie Goodwin. (I believe it's from the book The Next Witness, but it's been years since I read it, so don't quote me.)


	33. Daylight and Dark Chapter 33 - Afterward

One day in early May, near the end of the school year, the invisible car pulled into Megamind’s Lair and parked. Six people piled out: a little girl, a fish in a robotic gorilla suit, a Latino man, two women, and a blue hero dressed in all black. Roxanne breathed in the familiar scents of cool concrete, metal, leather, polish, and lubricating oil—the smell of home.

“I’m going to go put my trophy in my room!” Olivia announced.

“You do that. Afterward, I think today calls for a celebratory dinner,” Megamind enthused. “First place in the science fair! I knew you’d win, my little genius! Those ridiculous volcanoes had nothing on your accurately scaled solar system!”

“I’m just glad you remembered the De-Gun,” Roxanne nudged her lover. “Otherwise I don’t think we could have gotten the sun through the door. Even if it _was_ only one-eighth of the sun.”

He chuckled. "And thank heavens you thought to bring spare, ah, Plutos!" Compared with the massive cardboard and orange plastic "sun," Pluto had been a seed bead. The string tethering it to the solar system had been longer than the school gym.

“You know,” Minion beamed a fishy grin at their young scholar. “I think I’ve got all the ingredients for white chocolate raspberry mousse cake!”

“Ooh!” the girl practically danced with anticipation. It had become her favorite ever since Minion introduced her to it. “May I please have sprinkles on top?”

“Why, yes, Miss Olivia! In fact, an entire jar of _pink sprinkles_ seems to have appeared in the cabinet overnight! It’s the oddest thing, but do you know, this morning I opened the freezer and found ice cream, too?”

“You’re the best, Uncle Minion!” she threw her arms around him.

“Thank you, Miss Olivia, but I have no idea where they came from!” he gave her a dramatically wide-eyed look.

“I’ll bet,” said Roxanne, “that the Good Luck Pixie brought them.”

“Only reasonable explanation,” agreed Megamind, wrapping one arm around his lover and kissing her cheek.

“Well, if the smartest guy on the planet says so, it has to be true!” Andro grinned. “Maybe they’re magic sprinkles!” 

“We can find out tonight, Uncle Andro!” Olivia called as she dashed up the industrial stairs toward her room, stopping along the way to proudly show her trophy to a group of passing brainbots.

Megamind turned toward the older woman with them. “You were starting to tell us something about the progress?”

“Oh, yes. The good news is I think you’ve got a pretty good chance of winning custody,” she began.

“Why do I feel a ‘but’ coming, Miss Klossner?” Megamind lifted an eyebrow.

She smiled ruefully. “But, I won’t lie to you, the court system can still be a little old fashioned where these cases are concerned. It depends on the judge you get, of course, but… Well, your chances would be a lot better if you were married. Understand,” she added quickly. “I’ll give full testimony about the stability of the home and your eminent suitableness as parents, but the simple fact is that the court is still far more likely to award custody to a married couple than domestic partners.” 

The hero nodded. “I do understand, but I can’t— and won’t— pressure Roxanne into anything she doesn’t want. Not for any—”

“Megamind,” Roxanne touched her lover’s arm. “The answer is yes.”

“It is?” he turned a curious look on her, then her words seemed to sink in. “ _IT IS?!_ ” His entire face lit up with startled joy. “Oh, ho! Roxanne! Sweetheart!” He grabbed her around her waist and spun her, his head thrown back, a look of pure elation on his blue features. “Do you mean it?!” 

She laughed, her heart fluttering like a bird in her chest. “Well, you _do_ have to ask me first.”

“Yes! Yes! Of course! Right!” grinning, he set her on her feet and dropped to one knee. He cleared his throat. “Roxanne Ritchi, you are the single best thing that has ever happened to me. You believed in me, saw a hero inside of me when no one else could. You inspired me to become a better man, and brought me joy I thought would never be more than an impossible dream. You reconnected me with the heart of a lost little blue boy and helped me build a new life. That heart, that life, and all I am are forever yours. Will you make me the happiest man alive by doing me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Her cheeks were warm with a blush, her eyes were damp, and she could feel herself grinning like an idiot. She didn’t care. “I will. I definitely will.”

He laughed, deep and joyous and, yes, just a little bit evil. Leaping to his feet, Megamind pulled her close again and danced them both around the room until Andro caught the pair in a bear hug.

“Roxie! Big M! I’m so happy for you both! And you know I’m going to be your Man of Honor, right, Roxie?” he teased.

“There’s no one else I’d rather have,” she assured him with a smile.

Behind them, Amelia Klossner was beaming and looked like she just might have tears in her eyes.

Megamind turned back to Roxanne. “I don’t have a ring for you…” he admitted sheepishly.

“I don’t need one," she laced her fingers with his. "I just need you.”

“Oh, no, no, Miss Ritchi! Whether you think you need one or not, you’re going to get the most beautiful ring money can buy!” he announced, green eyes glittering. “Granted, it will still pale in comparison to you.”

"Flatterer," Roxanne peck him on the lips. Then she heaved a dramatic sigh, but her smile gave her away. “The man I love wants to give me jewelry. I suppose I'll just have to endure it.”

“Indeed you shall! Whatever you want! We’ll design it together!”

Roxanne laughed with pure joy. “And I guess I’ll have to get used to people calling me— what? Mrs. Mind? Or maybe I’ll hyphenate my last name. I’ve always preferred that.”

“You should keep it the way it is, Sweetheart. Especially given your career. Besides, sometimes people call me Mr. Mind, but it isn’t really accurate. I’m afraid I don’t have a surname to give you.”

“Well,” she stroked his cheek. Her eyes felt like they were glowing with tenderness. “You can always share mine.”

“Megamind Ritchi. You know, I like the sound of that.” He swooped Roxanne up and spun her again. “I can’t believe it! We’re getting married!” he nearly shouted. “ _We’re getting married!_ Minion! Minion!” he called into the watch.

“Sir?” the henchman sounded a little concerned.

“How do you feel about making a wedding gown?”

“SIR?!”

“We’re getting married!”

“Oh! Oh, Sir! That’s wonderful! Congratulations! Just wait until I tell Miss Olivia she gets to be a flower girl!”

“And you, my fantastic fish, get to be my Best Man!”

Megamind smiled like the sun at Roxanne as he leaned in to kiss her again, slowly and thoroughly. From all the way upstairs, they could hear Olivia’s squeal of delight.

* * *

That wasn’t the only surprise that spring brought to the Lair, however. A month later, Megamind and Roxanne were enjoying a private breakfast on her bedroom balcony. Roxanne was dressed for work in a dark purple suit that Megamind said made her skin glow. 

"Luckily, I have this handsome and incredibly thoughtful fiancé who bought it for me," she smiled.

"Well, now, you're breaking that big AccuCount embezzlement story today. You've put so much effort into collecting all the facts, and you need to dress like a bombshell to drop that kind of bomb! It's all about the presentation!" He struck a dramatic pose and then had to fumble as he nearly upset that week's bouquet in its glass vase.

"Goofball," Roxanne laughed, helping him straighten the flowers. "Thank you, and thank you for letting me use the brainbots to collect evidence. I couldn't have done it otherwise."

"Sweetheart, my brainbots are at your service any time. Isn't that right?" he cooed to a nearby cyborg, which flew over, bowging happily, to receive pats on its glass dome. "You love your Mommy, don't you? Yes, you do!"

They were just finishing their coffee— Megamind sipping out of his new favorite mug, which read: “World’s Best Dad”— when more brainbots arrived with the mail. It was mostly the usual collection of fan letters, but there were a few packages as well.

“Oh, good,” Roxanne said, examining one. “Theresa sent back the muslin pattern so Minion can get started on her bridesmaid’s dress.” She examined the enclosed letter. “She says she’s taking an entire week off so she can come early for a final fitting. I’ll finally get to meet my newest second cousin! What did the Warden say about your other groomsman?”

“Uncle Marlow will be there.” Megamind laughed. “This should be interesting. Half the cops in Metrocity plan to attend, along with the prison warden, a life-convict, most of the Ghost Riders, and a large number of the Dragons.”

“Maybe we should make sure everyone checks their weapons at the door,” agreed Roxanne with a wry smile.

Her lover opened the second package. “Metro— Ah, Music Man— says he’ll be flying in from LA, too,” Megamind informed her. 

“How is he doing? The last time I spoke to him he was still taking things pretty hard. I mean, Lord Smith was a criminal, but he was still Wayne's family.”

“I know. When he visits, I fully intend to take him to a bar for a few drinks and a heart-to-heart. What?” he added, seeing her face.

“Megamind, you barely even like him... You’re always saying he’s still your arch-rival.”

“What does that matter? The man lost his father! Again! And learned the person who raised him was a crime boss in the process! I _knew_ my adopted family were all felons; I can't imagine what it would feel like to find out this way. The least I can do is buy the fellow a few beers and give him a sympathetic ear.”

She wrapped her arms around her lover. “You’re a good man, Megamind. You really are.”

“I try.”

She kissed him.

“Was it just a letter in there?” Roxanne asked, indicating the former hero's package when she pulled away.

“No, he’s, ah, sent a compact disc of… Original love songs. That he composed and recorded himself. As an early wedding gift.”

Roxanne winced a little.

“Oh, come on,” her fiancé objected. “He’s not _that_ bad.”

She gave him an incredulous look.

“Alright, yes,” the blue man admitted. “He’s that bad. But it’s the thought that counts. At least he didn’t offer to do the music for the reception.” He paused. “I wonder if we could talk Metalocity into performing?”

“You won’t know unless you ask. What’s in the last package?”

Megamind moved a handful of letters aside, then stopped cold.

“What is it?” Roxanne moved around him to peer over his shoulder. 

It was a plain brown package addressed, in elegant calligraphy, to Hesperos Oldwin and Sinéad the Beautiful.

“Don’t touch it!” Megamind commanded, catching her hand as she reached forward.

“But he’s in prison!” Roxanne protested shakily, her eyes wide. “He’s being transferred to New York this morning to stand trial for the Greenburg and Taglieri murders!”

“He's escaped."

" _What?!_ " 

"He must have. That's the only explanation, and he's nearly as good at that as he is at disappearing. I suppose the marshals didn’t take my warnings about extra security seriously enough. I just hope no one was hurt." Megamind snapped his fingers and a brainbot rushed over. “Bring Daddy his heavy gloves and the Molecule Scanner from the workroom,” he ordered.

"Why didn't they tell us?"

"Honestly, they probably didn’t expect Ares to make a move on us so soon. Besides, the transport left around three this morning, so they may have been in Ohio when he broke free. They would have contacted the local Defender, assuming there is one.” 

Roxanne made an exasperated noise. "They just couldn't take him on a plane, could they?"

"After all the bomb incidents, do you really blame them?" The brainbot returned and dropped a rectangular device into Megamind's waiting hand. He adjusted the settings and aimed a wide beam of shifting light at the package. Reading the results, he frowned and scanned it again.

“Paper,” he said. “Nothing but ink and paper and leather. Hmm. Most of it contains cotton and hemp, like the old rag paper antique books are often printed on. But why would Ares send us a book?” It sounded harmless enough, but that didn’t stop him from pulling Roxanne back the far corner as he motioned for a brainbot to open the parcel.

Nothing happened. After a moment, Megamind eased forward. There, displayed upon brown paper, was a leather case, about fourteen inches long, that looked as if its previous home had probably been a thrift shop. Inside were dozens of thick stacks of bills. All of those visible were one-hundred dollar increments. 

Megamind weighed the case with his hands and eyes, then nodded. “That is between three- and four-hundred-thousand dollars.”

Roxanne couldn’t help it; she snickered. But the sound was edged in nervous relief. “Criminal Mastermind. How many cases of money have you handled?”

“What? Oh, no, it’s a simple matter of estimation. A dollar bill weighs one gram, so four-hundred and fifty-four of them to would weigh roughly a pound. From there it was easy to calculate.”

“What’s in the envelope on top?” Roxanne asked.

He gingerly picked it up and carefully opened it. 

“ _My Dear Hesperos and Sinéad_ ,” he read aloud. “ _Please do not bother searching for me, as by the time you receive this, I will be well on my way to another place. Do not fear that this correspondence should contain any of the threats or animosity I have previously leveled at you. Indeed, I hold you both in the highest regard, and as such, wish to inform you of my decision to never again set foot into Metro City unless I should feel my daughter is in peril_.

“ _I have thought many hours upon your words, Hesperos. You cannot guess how they have haunted me. You cannot fathom how the memory of your unearned mercy has tortured my silent hours. Perhaps you are correct, and I truly do not understand the nature of love. It may be that I am incapable of it. Possibly I am equally incapable of recognizing what must be mended, for my instinct is ever to destroy rather than repair. Of late, I begin to fancy I recognize that pattern even in my own life. Is it truth that I am seeing now, or has long and lonely contemplation brought upon me a dark delusion? I do not know. Only one thing is clear to me: you, Hesperos, are a better man and a better father than I could ever be. Therefore, I give the most precious of treasures, my daughter Olivia, wholly into your keeping, and I beg you to take the greatest care of her. Though it pains me to know that I will forever be a stranger to her, I know also that this is, indeed, what is best._

“ _Yes, Hesperos, it pains me, but I do it nonetheless. Perhaps, then, I am capable of love after all?_

“ _As for myself, I believe it may be time for me to retire, perhaps somewhere overseas. My finances are such that, while I would be very comfortable here, I will spend the rest of my days in a kingly fashion if I choose my new homeland wisely. Do not, therefore, fear that your failure to recapture me may have any negative impact upon your reputation. There will be no further deaths for you to be reproached with, not by my hand_.

“ _Enclosed you will find the payment I received for my last contract, which, as you know, I never fulfilled. It would be a discredit to me to keep it, but an even greater one to return it to the estate of such a grasping and soulless wretch as was Lord Smith. Therefore, I give it to my daughter. Please put it aside for her so that when the time comes, money will be no object to her education. See to it that she makes something truly remarkable of herself, for, in all of my life, she is the only good thing I have ever done. I trust that you both, honorable as you are, will comply with those wishes. Pain I may know in this parting, but fear, I find, has no part in it. I know that I leave Olivia in the best of hands, for you, Hesperos, are more than a mere Defender. You are a man of empathy, selfless courage, and integrity_. 

“ _You are truly a hero._

“ _Yours in Good Faith,_  
“ _Ares Coeus_.”

Roxanne and Megamind regarded one another in silence.

“Do you think he’s serious?” the former asked at last. “Do you think he really means to retire?”

“I’m not sure, Sweetheart. He wrote that it _may_ be time, not that it definitely _is_ , and that certainly leaves room for him to change his mind. But he will stay out of Metrocity. Whatever else he may be, Ares was never a liar.” He paused. “Well,” he offered, making an effort at lightening the mood. “I suppose at least you’ll have a hot scoop for work.”

“I guess I will. It might even keep Roger off our backs for a while." Lately, after the success of her first-hand report on Ares' capture had died down, Roxanne's boss had been pestering her to do a series of exposés on "Life in the Lair." Minion was the only resident who was all for it.

"That almost makes me glad Ares escaped," the hero grimaced. "Almost."

"Are you planning to go after him?”

Megamind was silent for a long moment, blue features thoughtful, emerald eyes gazing far away. “No,” he said finally. “I’m no superhero with godlike powers. I can’t save the world. My hands are full with this one town,” he smiled sideways at her, gentle and a little rueful, wrapping one arm about her. “My family and my city are safe. That will just have to be enough.”

She leaned her head against his shoulder and hugged him about his narrow waist. “It is,” she assured him, tender emotion tugging up the corners of her lips. “It’s enough.”

  
\- The End -


End file.
